#with NO plans to extend them after progression for them being down for TWO WEEKS

[irlwakko]

virgins everywhere devastated by weeks-long League of Legends progression bug

#it’s me I’m virgins #league of legends #like seriously nothing in the entire game is progressing almost #you can’t gain exp toward levels #you can’t gain points towards unlocking rewards n stories that are ONLY AVAILABLE FOR FOUR MORE DAYS #with NO plans to extend them after progression for them being down for TWO WEEKS #and remember the not gaining exp toward levels thing? #if you are by the grace of god spared from that bug and DO manage to level up #you don’t get your rewards :)

[seresinhangmanjake]

Birthday Boy

Dad!Jake “Hangman” Seresin x female reader

Summary: It’s Jake’s birthday and you have a very special gift for him.

Warnings: this is just a mega fluff monster (i think, anyway). Jake’s all happy being a dad and being in love with his lady and everything. Maybe cursing. Didn’t double check. Allusion to eventual smut that is not in this fic. Just to be safe:18+

Notes: can be read alone, but contributes to the Oh, Baby world as well. 

Words: 2422

Oh, Baby Masterlist

Masterlist

*turn on notifications for this blog or @seresinhangmanjake-library if you would like to keep up with my writing*

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Thirty-four. The number was speckled throughout his house. It was strung together as part of a lengthy banner that was taped to his wall; scribbled in green icing across the center of the vanilla cake you’d baked him with an equal number of rainbow-colored candles sticking out the top; and in the form of two massive shiny, floating balloons in the corner of the living room—Rooster’s addition to the decor, supposedly meant to tease Jake but were obviously brought for your daughter, Eve’s, amusement. And the little girl loved them, immediately crawling across the carpet to stare up at the mirror-like mylar that reflected her fascinated face. 

Jake had joked two weeks prior that he was getting old, so you’d taken it upon yourself to plan a party that reminded him of his younger days…his very young days. You’d gone all out, including everything for a kiddie party but the clowns and ponies. 

Initially, you weren’t sure how he’d take the surprise—he could see the worry in your twisted features when you observed his wide eyes and gaping mouth—but Jake only grabbed you around the waist and kissed you until everyone grew bored of watching a couple so lost in themselves. No one had ever quite done anything like this for him before. He’d had birthday parties, sure, plenty as a child, but not a single one after his mid-twenties, and never thrown by a woman he loved.

You’d still kept it small. Inviting your shared friends, a few other pilot buddies, Penny and Mav and a couple of the Hard Deck bartenders—one of whom was the pretty blonde Rooster had yet to completely get over despite the year that had passed since first meeting her. Clearly you knew something the rest of them didn’t when it came to the woman because you spent a good bit of time trying to push her and Rooster together. And if Jake could tell by the occasional glances he shot the two, it looked like some progress had been made. Good, Jake thought. He wanted his friends to have what he had.

By far, it was the best party he’d been to, fully surpassing the unknown number of wild nights he'd dedicated to getting hammered in college. Jake liked the intimacy of it all, even more so after it had died down and most guests returned to their own homes, leaving just you and his team remaining.

“Well,” Rooster began after taking a sip of the beer that you’d made sure to pour into a polka-dotted plastic cup, “I hope you enjoy being old, Hangman.”

Phoenix tucked her finger under the elastic band holding the cone-shaped hat to Rooster’s head and pulled it a good few inches away from his face before releasing it. It slapped harshly against his skin and with a frown, he rubbed his palm over the fresh sting.

“If he’s old, we’re all old,” she scolded. “And you should be nice to the birthday boy.”

“The birthday boy’s got enough nice things. He’s got his lovely lady.” He winked at you and you rolled your eyes with a chuckle. Then he extended his finger to lightly tickle Eve’s cheek. “And he’s got this little nugget.” 

When his daughter giggled in his arms, Jake pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her hair. He smiled contently before turning his head to connect his lips with yours. You both grinned into the kiss, that usual fluttering blooming in his stomach as you placed your hand on his cheek to draw him in closer. 

“Ok,” Payback just short of shouted, trying to pull your and Jake's attention back to the surface. “You know other people are here, right? And you’ve got a child in your arms.”

Separating from Jake, you looked back to your group of friends. “That was an innocent kiss.”

Fanboy snorted and took a bite of his cake. “It was no peck,” he mumbled around a mouthful of sponge and frosting. 

Jake reached behind you to rest his hand against your lower back, but it lasted there all of five seconds before traveling lower to settle on your ass. "Well, that’s as innocent as we get," he said.

“Pathetic,” Rooster playfully scoffed. “Be less in love with each other.”

“Not a chance, man.”

Everyone released a mocking groan at the sappiness, but Jake only snickered and leaned over to kiss your temple. It wasn’t the first time his teammates had joked about your supposed ‘nauseating’ obsession with one another, but underneath, their love for the two of you together was more than supported. 

“We should probably go,” Phoenix said. They all nodded in agreement, hugging you and Jake before giving extra special goodbyes to your daughter. Then they were gone—so much like a herd of wild animals or a school of fish migrating in one giant mass. 

Jake blew out a breath. He wasn’t old, but it didn’t mean the man didn’t feel the exhaustion of the long evening. 

“Tired?” you asked, extending your arms for Eve. 

He handed the girl over to her mother and shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Good, because your night is not over yet.” 

Jake’s eyes followed the movement of your finger drawing a line down the row of his shirt buttons. He looked up at you. “Is that right?”

You winked, and as you turned on your heel to go put Eve to bed, Jake began to throw forgotten used cups and plates into the trash. They littered the area but he expected no less. His friends had a habit of bringing a tornado with them just to vanish when time to deal with the aftermath. 

“You don’t have to do that, baby,” you said, stepping back down the stairs. He felt your arms snake around his waist a moment later and squeeze. “Come with me instead.” 

Taking his hand, you led him to sit in a dining chair and settled yourself onto his lap. 

He knew his gaze was burning as it roamed over the features of your face. The only time it wasn’t was when he made sure to tamp down his desire in front of his daughter. But his baby girl was asleep now, and nothing stopped him from unveiling the entirety of what he felt for you. 

He was fully prepared to capture your lips in a kiss, but you stopped him when you said, “I got you a birthday present.”

Jake cared; he did. But you’d already given him so much and his neediness for you blocked out any ability to think of what could possibly be more important than you on top of him; he inside of you. 

He hummed lowly. “Does it happen to be lacy?” he asked. His fingers slid along the smooth skin of your thigh, pushing up the hem of your dress. “And under here?”

“Yes,” you grinned as you tilted your head down to brush your nose over his. “But I got you something else, too. Something better.”

You hopped up, slipping from his grasp before he could blink and disappearing around the corner into the hall. He instantly felt the gaping hole of your absence; the chill now coating his skin from the sudden loss of your warm body. He wasn’t a fan.

“Honey, I’m not sure there’s much better than you all dolled up in lace,” he called after you. 

You returned with your hands tucked behind your back, a sweet smile on your face as you once again took your seat atop his thighs. Jake rose a brow at your barely contained excitement when you whipped an envelope out and held it in front of his face. He leaned back a bit to get a good look, but the crisp, white folded paper was blank. 

“What is this?”

“You have to open it and read.”

He did as told and took it from your hands, lifting the unsealed flap and pulling out another folded sheet of paper. One of his arms snuck around your waist, holding your body flush against his again—tighter this time so you had no chance of escape—as he began to read aloud. 

“Petition for a change of name of a mi—” Jake’s voice caught on the syllable. His whole body, organs and all, briefly froze within him. A swallow strained his throat. “Minor,” he finally finished. He let the word settle on his tongue and when his brain regained functioning and fully processed the weight of its meaning, his eyes flicked over to yours. “Are you serious?”

Nodding with surety and cupping his cheek, you said, “I want to change her name. You just have to agree and we’ll sign some papers.”

The tears began to cloud his vision, fuzzing the words on the page as he read them again and again. “So, she’d…”

“She’d be Eve Seresin.”

Jake had imagined it before, dreamed about it. His sweet family—a small unit of Seresins that might one day grow into a decent sized bunch. You and he outnumbered by a group of little ones. But since your baby girl was such a surprise and you’d had Eve without him there—without him even in the picture at the time—her name was yours. Jake was fine with that. Of course, he was. It only made sense, and he wasn’t going to demand his daughter take his name just because you and he were officially together. But he couldn’t deny how the thought of his baby girl being a Seresin in name delightfully tightened his chest. He wouldn’t be too terribly upset by his woman sharing his name, either.

With your free hand, you brushed away the escaped salty droplet that slipped down his cheek. He met your eyes again.

“Honey, are you sure? Just because she doesn’t have my name, doesn’t mean—”

You shook your head. “I know, but your family name means something to you,” you said. “Besides, I imagine we’d be doing this sooner or later, and with Eve starting daycare in a couple of months it’s really the perfect time.”

You’re amazing, you know that? He thought about saying it every time he looked at you. Every time he saw you walk through the door, or take care of your daughter, or when you crawled into bed and cuddled up to him. And moments like this, when you expressed your devotion in such wonderful, unexpected ways. 

Jake put his hand on the back of your neck and pulled you down for the kiss he’d been desperate to give you. It was a pattern of long kisses between short kisses, with some kisses making their way to cheeks and jawlines, and eventually, his lips found the sweet, delicate skin of your neck, sucking red marks into the flesh. He liked those marks—made sure to give them to you often—a new one for every old one that disappeared. He was especially adamant about it once you’d started back to work at the bar, remembering all too clearly the wide range of drunk men that went far out of their way to hit on you. But you were his now. You shared a daughter, you had a future, and he didn’t need other guys thinking they were going to get lucky with his lady. And though you didn’t give him the satisfaction, he knew you secretly loved it, too.

You moaned, your head naturally falling to the side to open access to more of your skin, and Jake gripped your neck a bit harder, holding you still as he took a gentle bite.

“I love you,” he whispered against your neck, licking over the fresh mark to soothe the tenderness before lifting his head. “And you gave me a wonderful gift.”

The glimmer in your eye—he lived for that glimmer. That little shine of pride. “Yea?”

“Yea.” He smiled softly. “Any chance you want to get your name changed, too?” 

That smile morphed into a pout, his bottom lip slightly puckering.

“Don’t puppy-dog-eyes me, Seresin.”

“But Honey, I can get a wedding together so fast.”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, but your lips were struggling to stay in a straight line. They begged to curve upwards; to part and bare your white teeth in the perfect smile that had taken him to his damn knees the first time he saw you. 

Jake loved when he could get your smile to break through any emotion you were feeling or trying to portray. He was convinced that was one of the reasons you worked so well together. Crying, irritated, exhausted—didn’t matter what it was, he could find some way to get you to crack a smile. Now was no different. 

He knew you weren’t going to say yes; your relationship was officially only six months old and you’d always lived by a hard line of being with a man for a year before getting married. He knew this before you even slept together, back when you were friends exchanging innocent thoughts about potential futures. But that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy hinting at the subject every once in a while. 

“We’ll talk about it,” you said, moving one of his stray blond locks back into place. “But let's start with our daughter’s.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

He accepted your kiss—your promise that when he asked you that question for real, you would say yes. That was enough for him. When you were ready, he would get down on his knee and present the ring he’d had made a month ago, and you would start another chapter. But for now, everything he had was enough. More than enough. More than he could’ve dreamed of. 

“Would you like to have your other present now?” you asked. 

Your finger slowly traced the neckline of your dress, pulling down just a bit to reveal the lacy trim of your bra.

Jake took in a deep inhale through his nose and let the exhale fill his cheeks as it left his body. Just under that dress was a layer of thin, intricate material in a deep shade of red just barely covering some of his favorite parts of you. Swallowing hard, he replaced your finger with his and pulled the front of your dress lower to expose more of the garment. The lace barely contained the swell of your breasts, and he instantly hardened beneath you, cock straining against the zipper of his jeans. 

With his eyes still glued to your cleavage, he nodded. “I would absolutely love to have my other present now.”

#jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x female!reader #dad!jake seresin #dad!jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake serein fanfic #jake seresin fic #top gun hangman #top gun maverick #jake seresin x you #tgm #tgm fic #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin fluff #jaks seresin imagine #jake hangman seresin x you #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman fic

[theresattrpgforthat]

THEME: Magic and Mystics

This week's games are all magical in nature, whether they be solo games, supplements, or something as big and as grand as a wizard's tower!

Tower & Town, by Ari Calix.

After years at the Mages’ College, you have finally completed your studies and acquired a tower of your own. What better use for your new arcane residence than pursuing a wizard’s favourite pastime: magical research! The College, of course, has high expectations and anticipates regular reports on your progress.

There is, however, a complication. Your new tower is far from the distractions of the city, but it’s only an hour’s walk from a small town very eager for your magical assistance. You may have plans to revolutionize magical science, but the townspeople are really more interested in your warding their chicken coops against thieving sprites.

Tower & Town is a solo RPG about a rural wizard managing their time, making friends, and changing magical scholarship forever—while trying not to be driven out by an angry mob or lose research funding.

This is a neat little game that provides you with a balancing act: keeping up on your research while also doing favours for townsfolk in order to keep you in their favor. You’ll use two skills, Arcane and Mundane, and two specialties, one that informs your magical abilities and one that demonstrates your non-magical competencies. Your Reputation exists as two tracks that will move up and down depending on your success in meeting demands. The game provides a structured set of stages to ensure your wizard will receive many requests, and there’s enough moving pieces to keep your game playing over an extended period of time - so you can play a little bit every day.

Spellchitects!, by Viditya Voleti.

You craft and design the spells and rituals that are being cast all around your world. Using your advanced knowledge of how magic is weaved, you mark out the symbols, colors, and components to craft the desired effects. 

Sometimes you make spells for customers, sometimes you make spells just for the heck of it! As Spellchitects, it’s all about experimentation, collaboration, and fun!

As a spell-crafting game, this can be a fun little exercise on its own, but it could also be a way to design a magic system for a larger game. Each player will use a variety of different-coloured writing instruments to create elements of the spell. The colour and the marking involved in the sigil will each communicate something about what the spell does. The players will also have to assign a spell component for each extra symbol invoked in the creation of the spell. 

If you bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality a few years ago, you already own this game! 

Summoner’s Fate, by Rae Nedjadi.

You are STUDENTS at a Learning Institution that focuses on the esteemed and complex art of ARCANE SUMMONING. You have learned how to call upon beings to be an extension of your own will and power.

A CONFLICT has arisen, an ADVERSARY reveals themselves. The stakes are high, things are dire! You few are the only thing standing in the way, there’s no one else. You have to rise to the challenge and trust that you’ve got what it takes!

This game takes inspiration from both Spindlewheel, by Sasha Reneau, and Royal Blood, by Grant Howitt. It has a Game Facilitator, also known as Fate, as well 2-4 players. It uses a Tarot deck to determine elements of the game: the Major Arcana provide story aspects and character elements, while the Minor Arcana are used for moments of the story where your summoners will make a wager in order to overcome a challenge. Your characters can summon Powers or Daemons to help them - but doing so also means that you could lose that which you wagered, cracking or shattering one of the crystals from which you draw your power. 

If you like heavily interpretive games, or you like playing with Tarot Cards, this game might be worth checking out!

Research Arcanum, by J. Evan Nyquist.

Research Arcanum is a PbtA game about learning the secrets of a fantasy world for 2-5 players including a GM. It can be used as a supplement to augment an existing tabletop roleplaying game or played on its own to generate the academic history of an Arcanist or to plumb the mysteries of a setting’s magic.

This game is something that you could run as a one-shot inside a larger campaign to give your characters a chance to really delve into the lore of a world, or to role-play the arduous journey of tracking down a specific magical solution to an urgent problem. If you like the idea of magic being something you can study in an institution, this game will give you a chance to really explore that.

I can also see this game being easily hacked into a sci-fi setting as well! Instead of a wizard university, your characters may be seeking information from an alien repository or a Jedi library. Just make the sources places like The Library Planet or Xritex, an alien researcher, and spheres things like Warp Travel, Robotic Intelligences, and Twi’lek Culinary Techniques. 

Wizard Pals, by Tadhg Lyons.

The world is a wretched place, and life is awful. Thankfully, You Are Magic, and even better, you can Do Magic, and it rules. Anyone can be a Wizard, and a Wizard can be anyone.

Wizard Pals is a lighthearted TTRPG/collaborative storytelling game in which every hero is a mysterious and magically powerful being known as a Wizard. To play, you need some pals of your own, some 12-sided dice, and an adventurous spirit. The game itself is easy to learn and approachable, open-ended and chaotic, and perfect for new TTRPG players and veterans alike.

In Wizard Pals, the colour of your robes denotes your area of expertise, your Signature Spells are powerful but require a re-charge, and all of you will go upon a quest to complete a Wizardly Task! There is so much room to make this game as goofy as you like - it’s hard to keep a straight face when one of your wizards is a frog in a top hat, or an ominous floating orb. 

There’s a number of mechanics that remind me of other games, including two abilities and a target number that you must roll under or over, similar to Lasers & Feelings. (The game uses d12s, which is what makes it slightly different!) However, when you’re in combat, your characters will be rolling using something akin to attack and defense, with a stat layout that you have to assign to both. 

This game comes with two supplements: The Bastard of Undertower, and The Haunting of Hobble. These are adventures that a GM can lead the characters through, which is great if your game master wants a little guidance, or just less prep to do. 

What’s So Cool About Street Magick?, by Vincent Quigley. 

So what IS so cool about Street Magick ?  Well... It's a micro-rpg where you play people that have shed the burden of banality and that yield terrible magick for it.  It's a game about the homeless, the vagrant, the people that tend to become invisible in our regular boring ass lives. 

It's a game about finding the fantastic within the rotten. 

It's a game that will need you to make your own. 

This is a simple hack of What’s So Cool About Outer Space?, about magic users on the streets. Follow rumours and fight of arcane threats that nobody else seems to care about. You have power now, but a happy ending isn’t going to just fall in your lap - you’ll have to fight for it. 

This game uses just d6’s and a bunch of imagination. I’d love to see this game in combination with a city-builder, such as I’m sorry did you say street magic, by Caro Acercion, or What is Here? by Matthew Gravelyn. I love the idea of creating a city and then exploring it - it gives me a lot of the same vibes as Urban Shadows or World of Darkness, but with less fiddly bits or chapters of lore.

#magic #wizards #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #game recommendations #dnd

[guillemelgat]

Language Goals 2024

Another year, another set of goals! This year, in the actual spirit of my very reasonable 2022 language goals, here are my plans for language study.

Catalan

First and foremost, my goal is to find Catalan friends in my new hometown, because I really need to speak Catalan with people at minimum once a week or I get very sad, and currently I’m not speaking it with anyone at all. This goal is pretty chill though—I just have to actually sit down and put in the time to find people.

My main goal is to read 30 books in Catalan. I’ll make a proper post about it with a list of books that I’m thinking of and how the challenge itself is going to work, but overall I’m trying to pick a mix of styles and genres, so expect anything from medieval literature to YA novels to academic texts. I have a lot of books that I’ve been meaning to read for a while, so hopefully this will give me a chance to chip into some of them. 30 books is less than other versions of this challenge that I’ve seen, but it’s also many more books than I’ve read in Catalan possibly ever and I think it’s more reasonable in conjunction with a full class load. Hopefully it ends up being just the right amount!

Welsh & Basque

This year I really want to work hard to actually get these two to an upper intermediate level, because I’m so close if I put in the work. For both of them, I have two main goals: (1) go through the textbooks/workbooks that I started going through casually last semester (Basic Welsh: A Grammar and Workbook by Gareth King and Standard Basque: A Progressive Grammar by Rudolf P.G. de Rijk) so that I can continue to review and learn new grammatical structures, and (2) watch one episode of a TV series each week in each language. For the TV series, I’m going to be watching Rownd a Rownd on S4C (which is available outside Wales/the UK! Huge win!) and Eskamak kentzen on EITB. If I have time, I’ll try to go through episodes more thoroughly and note down new vocabulary and such, but the main goal is to make a routine of it and watch consistently so I’m trying to keep it simple. I’d also like to use both languages with other people more often if I can, but I think finding a consistent language partner will perhaps be a goal for another year.

Malayalam

I’m planning to focus the first half of the year on Welsh and Basque, and then next fall, I’m hoping to be able to take the Malayalam classes offered by my university and to get into studying my home dialect (or rather, my extended family’s home dialect, since I didn’t speak it at home) as well. Since this will be later and also classroom learning rather than self-study, I’m not going to go into details, but overall, after my trip to Kerala (which I have stuff about, it’s on the docket!), I’m generally feeling much less alienated and much more motivated to study the language. I’m also looking forward to being able to take real classes, which I think will help keep me focused and on track.

Russian

This is a minor goal, but at my friend’s house over the summer, her mom was joking that if they just spoke to me in Russian while I stayed at their house, I’d probably be able to understand it by the end. That led us to concoct a plan where I study a bit of Russian vocab, then go there and do intensive Russian immersion for a weekend or so. This is more of a silly goal, but I’d like to try it because I think it could be fun.

Anki

This isn’t a language goal per se, but rather a general resolution to spend this year learning to use (and tweaking and configuring) Anki. Anki has a notoriously high barrier to entry, and from everything I’ve seen it should be treated as a long-term, intensive project—I’ll hopefully reap the rewards later if I take my time and set up everything right in the early stages. With that in mind, I’m hoping that by the end of the year I’ve figure out a set up for my decks and cards that really works for getting me to remember and be able to use vocab and grammar. I’ll focus on the languages here for the start, but I’m hoping that with habit and time, if I get a good system going I can use it with other languages too.

And that’s it! It’s been a bit since I was systematic about studying languages, but I’ve found that I really miss it and want to go back. I feel like I’m at a really good place with all of these, and I’d like to continue to make progress, so I’m really trying to focus on consistency and hitting the sweet spot of just challenging enough to get myself out of my comfort zone while not burning out. Hopefully I’ve set this up in a way to build habits and make me excited to keep immersing myself with these languages in the coming years, which is really the key to learning any language in the long term—I've realized that I speak Catalan so well because it's fully integrated into my life, and I'd like all these others to be as well. Here’s to a good 2024, and I wish all of you luck with your own goals as well!

#a few days late but whatever #i've had a lot of spatial and temporal displacement in the past two weeks i think i'm allowed this one indulgence #i am trying SO HARD to set achievable goals #i'm so so bad at it but i'm slowly getting better hopefully this will be the year #also i forgot to include this but i really do need to get my spanish back up to speed #or not even up to speed at this point i haven't studied it since high school so i need to actually learn new things #a professor in the spanish department switched back to english while talking to me because i spoke it so poorly with him :') #però és que em fa pal el castellà no el necessito per res (<- mentida) #on the other hand solomon a gaenor has completed revived my energy for studying welsh and going to kerala has done it for malayalam #which um. i didn't even realize i could be that interested in studying malayalam. wowee we have unlocked feelings and emotions lads! #anyways we'll see how this goes but i'm going to do my best :') #general:goals #catalan:goals #welsh:goals #basque:goals #malayalam:goals #russian:goals

[tameodesza]

Unlikely Meeting (BretShawn)

AO3 Link | masterlist

How Shawn’s first time staying home alone turned into him accidentally meeting Bret’s mom for the first time 

Shawn was convinced that the best decision he’d ever made was agreeing to travel on the road with Bret full time. Maybe it’s because he spent the majority of his adult life wasting away in an office doing boring clerical work, but traveling with Bret made Shawn feel so free and content with life. Throughout his time on the road, he and Bret visited various cities across the US and Canada, taking in all the beauty and fun adventures that the continent had to offer.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Shawn was slightly worried in the beginning of their travels. He often wondered if spending so much time together would drive both Bret and himself crazy, desperately needing space from each other. However, it was quite the opposite. Spending time together backstage, cuddling in their hotel room, going sightseeing, and driving cross-country for hours at a time only brought them that much closer. It definitely helped to make up for the time they lost when they were dating long-distance. So many unforgettable memories were made on the road.

When Bret had a week-long break, the two decided to spend it in Calgary. Now that Shawn was living with Bret, Calgary had become their home base in between their travels. Shawn still had yet to settle in due to the two traveling as soon as Shawn had left Texas to be with Bret. Nevertheless, it still brought a smile to his face whenever Bret would utter the words ‘our home,’ further solidifying their relationship.

Shawn was set on experiencing the freedom of the road again after their short trip to Calgary. Unfortunately, his plans were compromised when a pounding headache turned into a runny nose and a dry cough, which eventually progressed into Shawn catching the common cold the day before they were set to be back on the road.

“Ugh, I feel like death,” Shawn groaned with a raspy voice as he laid in bed, surrounded by mounds of blankets and snotty tissues.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you,” asked Bret after zipping up his suitcase, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed next to Shawn.

Bret’s immediate response after he found out that Shawn was sick was to offer to nurse him back to health. To be honest, he felt a little guilty. He’d concluded that Shawn’s system probably got fucked up from traveling with him for such an extended period of time. Everything must have caught up to the blond once they settled in Calgary.

“No,” Shawn said before being cut off by a coughing fit. He reached for another piece of tissue, blowing his nose before adding it to his collection of crumbled used tissue. Shawn sank back onto his pillow, groaning in misery.

Bret moved a few hair strands away from Shawn’s face before placing a hand on his forehead, noting how warm it felt. “I don’t want to leave you alone,” he said, removing his hand from Shawn’s forehead to caress his cheek.

Shawn gave another sniff before saying, “Maybe I wouldn’t have to go through this alone if you’d let me come with you-” and he was attacked by another coughing fit.

Bret gave him a moment to settle down before saying, “I’m not letting you travel on the road like this.”

Shawn pouted, “I’m a big boy, Bret. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“No-”

“What if I’m fine by tomorrow?”

Bret took a moment before answering monotonously, “Shawn, you literally just said you feel like death.”

Shawn whined, “You know I’m dramatic.”

Bret said firmly, “No. You need rest.”

Shawn mumbled indignantly to himself, knowing Bret was right. His body let out a few sneezes and another cough, further proving Bret’s point.

Bret moved his hand down to lightly rub Shawn’s shoulder. “See? You’re in no condition to travel right now.”

Shawn sighed. “I know, but what am I supposed to do without you here? I’m going to miss you.”

Bret desperately wanted to kiss Shawn’s worries away, but he was afraid of getting himself sick. Instead, he settled for dragging his hand down to comfortingly rub at Shawn’s hip. “It’ll be ok, baby. I have a break in between shows. I’ll fly out to see you then.”

Shawn gave another sniff feeling the mucous building up in his nose again. “When’s your break?”

“In three days.”

“Three days?!” Shawn coughed before continuing his tirade, “You’re really going to leave me here to fend for myself for three whole days?! I thought you loved me,” Shawn moped, sticking his bottom lip out dramatically.

Bret chuckled, bringing his other hand down to pet gently at Shawn’s head. “I do love you. That’s why I need you here and not on the road. What if it gets worse?”

“What if it doesn’t?”

“But what if it does,” Bret reiterated.

“At least you’d be there to take care of me.”

“And what do I do if I end up getting sick?”

“Then we’d just be sick together?” Shawn ended with as sweet of a look he could muster. But Bret wasn’t buying it.

“Nice try. Look, I’ll make sure to call you every single night and you can tell me all about your day, ok?”

Shawn let out another string of sneezes, ending with him blowing his nose before he answered solemnly, “Ok.”

 While awaiting Bret’s return, Shawn spent the majority of his time resting in bed like a zombie, feeling lethargic and only moving to eat, use the restroom, or answer the phone when Bret called. Bret’s phone calls were the only highlight of his days. Bret, being the sweetheart that he is, would listen patiently as Shawn explained his day, complaining about how bored he was and how much he missed Bret. Bret missed the blond just as much. Traveling on the road was no longer the same without him.

It was on the third day of his hibernation that Shawn heard the sound of the front door opening downstairs. Shawn, bundled up in multiple blankets, slowly opened his eyes at the sound. He lazily sat up, pulling the mound of blankets up with him knowing that Bret had just returned home.

Shawn realized that it was a day earlier than expected, but he wasn’t complaining. Thankfully, he’d gotten a little better since the last time he’d seen Bret, only a stuffy nose and scratchy throat remaining. However, he still wanted Bret to dote on him.

Shawn got out of bed, tugging one of his many blankets over his shoulders as he wrapped himself like a burrito before making his way downstairs. He rubbed at his eyes as he slowly walked down the steps calling out, “Bret?”

Not hearing his boyfriend’s reply, Shawn made his way to the kitchen where he could hear movement. He let out a silent yawn before saying, “Babe? Bret?”

He rounded his way into the kitchen, stopping abruptly as he jumped in a startle, screaming in horror as he was met with an older woman that certainly wasn’t Bret.

Shawn’s horrific scream caused the woman to do the same as she jumped, turning around surprised to see the unwelcome visitor.

It took a short moment for Shawn to realize who it was. Bret’s mother, Helen Hart. Or at least that’s who he assumed it was from the family photos Bret’s shown him.

Then it dawned on him. This was his first time meeting Bret’s mom. Shawn felt like a bucket of cold water was dunked on him as a wave of embarrassment washed over him. Her first impression of him must have been that he was a total nutcase. He wouldn’t blame her. How else would he expect anyone to react at the sight of a tall, ill-looking man with a raspy voice and bedhead?

She yelled, “Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” She didn’t even give Shawn a chance to respond as she was already raising a hand to hit him with the newspaper she was holding.

She stopped in her tracks as Shawn held out his blanketed arms in defense, quickly uttering, “Wait, wait!” But he was cut off by a coughing fit that he could’ve sworn had disappeared.

Once his coughing subsided, he continued, “I’m Shawn. I’m a…friend of Bret’s.” Shawn didn’t think lying to his future mother-in-law was a good first impression, but he wasn’t sure if Bret told her about them. And with Bret still being in the closet, it was safer to say he’s a friend.

“What are you doing in my son’s home,” she asked as she slowly lowered the newspaper in her hands, but still on high alert.

Shawn sniffed, desperately wishing he’d brought a tissue down with him to blow his nose. “Bret let me stay here until he gets back.” Shawn then swiftly tucked his head into his arm as a string of sneezes came along.

Her worries were not eased as she wondered why some man she’d never seen before had access to her son’s home. She had a spare key to Bret’s place and always checked up on the house when he was out of town. The last thing she expected was to find another man in there. 

However, Helen’s caution seemed to lower a bit as she finally took in the sight of Shawn, noticing how sickly he looked. With him having a red-tinted nose, a look of exhaustion, and being wrapped up in a blanket like a penguin, he didn’t seem too threatening. Once it became apparent that the man was sick, she felt a little bad for him.

After Shawn brought his head up from his arm, his sneezing finally over, Helen said softly, “Well, Shawn, you don’t look so good. You should go lay back down. I was just stopping by to drop off a few things for Bret. I’m his mother, Helen.”

Shawn managed to give a polite smile as he sniffed saying, “Nice to meet you, Helen.”

“Here you go, dear,” she said as she handed him a tissue from her purse.

“Thanks,” Shawn said gratefully. He blew his nose, throwing the tissue in the trash, saying. “Sorry for scaring you.”

She gave a polite smile back. “It’s ok. I’m just used to the house being empty when Bret’s gone. It’s not too often that he lets people stay here besides family. Now that I think of it, the only time a person other than family has stayed here has been when he was dating someone.”

Shawn’s face heated up at the revelation, and this time it wasn’t from a fever.

“Oh, really? How interesting,” Shawn said feigning ignorance, not knowing how to pivot the conversation.

“Yeah, it’s really odd,” Helen pondered.

Think quick, Shawn thought to himself. Without warning, Shawn went into another coughing fit. This time it was obviously forced, his sickness being the only copout he could think of to get out of the conversation.

His plan seemed to work as Helen’s attention shifted back to Shawn’s condition. “Aww, you poor thing. Do you have any medicine you can take?”

Shawn cleared his throat, shaking his head no. “Bret doesn’t have any in the house.”

Helen shook her head in disappointment before rummaging around in her purse. She tsked, “That son of mine. He never has this place stocked with the essentials.”

Shawn smirked to himself, being reminded that he’d gotten onto Bret on more than a few occasions about having his house stocked. Without thinking, he said “Yeah, he’s really bad at that. I mean-” then another obviously fake string of coughs pursued.

“Here,” said Helen after finally finding the pack of generic cold medicine in her purse. She took out a pill then reached for one of Shawn’s hands which were tucked away under his blanket. She dropped the pill in his hand palm before heading to the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of water, handing it to Shawn as well. “I’m not sure if it’ll do much for your runny nose, but it should help get rid of those coughs.”

An appreciative smile tugged at Shawn’s lips, the blond being reminded of his own mother who was always prepared and knew what to do to take care of him. “Thank you,” he said after he’d swallowed the pill down.

“No problem, darling. Now, I need for you to rest while I make some soup for you-”

Shawn quickly declined, “Oh, no you don’t have to do that. Thanks for offering-”

“Ah, I don’t want to hear it. I’m sure Bret would appreciate me taking care of a friend of his.” She walked up to Shawn, placing a light hand on his arm and lower back as she guided him towards the stairs. “Now, I need you to lay down in the meantime and I’ll let you know when the soup’s done, ok?”

Bret’s mom had already done plenty to help him out, so Shawn really didn’t want her to feel like she had to cook for him. However, she was adamant, and Shawn was too tired to put up a fight. So he allowed Helen to walk him upstairs.

Once they’d reached the top, Helen intended on walking Shawn to the guest room that was a few doors down from Bret’s. Much to her surprise, Shawn continued to walk past the guest room, headed straight towards Bret’s bedroom. Interesting, she mentally noted.

Her curiosity only grew once they made it to Bret’s room. Seeing the comfortable nest of blankets and pillows Shawn had built on the bed caused Helen to wonder: Just how long has this man been here? And just how close was he to Bret where her son would allow him to get this comfortable in his bed?

Shawn let out a groan as he finally settled back into his mountain of blankets that still smelled vaguely of Bret’s cologne, shifting around until he found a comfortable resting position.

After ensuring Shawn was nice and cozy, taking in the serene look on the young man’s face, Helen looked around the room before asking inquisitively, “So, you said you’re a friend?”

Shawn nodded, almost too eagerly as he said, “Mhmm,” words failing him at the moment.

There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to linger too long before Helen said, “I’ll be right back, dear. Try to get some rest while I cook, ok?”

Shawn nodded and at that, Helen left Shawn alone as she closed the door behind her. As soon as she was out of sight, Shawn thrashed around in the bed, kicking his legs in a tantrum as he whined to himself, “What the fuck is my life?” That was a question he’d yet to have an answer for.

Instead of contemplating how fucked his life was, Shawn decided to take Helen’s advice and get some more rest. Although he’d been resting for the past few days, it seemed like he could never get enough sleep.

 He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out for, but soon enough, he was awakened from his slumber by the sound of a light knock on the bedroom door. He opened his eyes to see Helen peeping her head in, saying, “Food’s done, dear.”

Shawn slowly sat up as he cleared. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Hart. You’re an angel.”

“You’re welcome. Well, I’m headed out. I hope you feel better, Shawn.”

“Oh, wait. Let me walk you out,” Shawn said as he made moves to get up from the bed.

He stopped his movement when Helen said, “No, it’s fine. Stay there. I have a key, so I’ll make sure to lock up when I leave out. It was nice meeting you, Shawn. Hopefully, we’ll cross paths again,” she ended with a gentle smile before making her way out the house.

Shawn continued looking at the bedroom door even after hearing the front door being locked, reflecting on how bizarre his day had been.

While Shawn spent that evening wondering how he’d survived that encounter, Helen spent the evening pondering over Shawn, her suspicions heightened after she’d laid eyes on a picture that rested on the nightstand next to Shawn – a picture of Bret back hugging the blond, kissing Shawn’s cheek as Shawn gave a radiant smile to the camera.

 Later that night, Shawn was once again brought out of his sleep, this time by the sound of the house phone ringing. He checked the time to see that it was almost midnight. He knew it was Bret, the older man probably calling after settling down in his hotel room after a house show.

With the cold medicine finally kicking in and a stomach full of soup, Shawn was starting to feel better, but he was still groggy. Despite his tired state, he rushed out of the bed as quickly as he could towards the house phone that sat on a shelf in the hallway.

He let out a light yawn as he answered, “Hello?”

“Hey, baby. It’s Bret.”

Shawn leaned his head on the wall, closing his eyes as he responded, “Hey.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“That’s good.”

“Mhmm,” said Shawn as he felt himself trying to drift asleep.

However, Shawn became fully awake when Bret said, “So, I heard you met my mother today.” Shawn’s eyes flew open, the man groaning as he placed a tired hand on his face, the events of the evening all coming back to him.

“Yeah…that happened. Did she tell you?”

“Well, not exactly. It was something more along the line of ‘You want to tell me why there’s an adorable man tucked away in your house?’ She made it seem like I was holding you hostage or something.”

Shawn wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but his nerves wouldn’t allow him to find the humor in the situation. “Did she say anything else?”

“Oh, she also mentioned something about the picture on the nightstand.”

“The picture on the nightstand?” Shawn questioned having no idea what Bret was talking about. That was until he leaned his head in the direction of the bedroom, looking towards the nightstand on his side of the bed to see the picture in question. 

And that’s when the reality of the situation settled in: Helen saying that Bret only let those he dated stay with him. Her asking Shawn again if he and Bret were friends. Her knowing smile as she left the house for the evening. 

She knew. Or at least she knew there was something more than a friendship going on between Bret and Shawn. And it was all Shawn’s fault. 

“Holy shit. Bret, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even notice the picture sitting there. Fuck!”

To be honest, Shawn had forgotten he’d put the picture there a few days earlier. It was one of his favorite pictures, and because he was going to be alone without Bret for a few days, he put it next to his side of the bed so he could look at Bret until he came back.

Now because of his negligence, he accidentally outed Bret to his family.

“Why are you apologizing, babe?”

“Because your family doesn’t even know you’re dating anyone, let alone that you like men, Bret. Your mom seems like a smart woman. I’m pretty sure she didn’t buy that we’re just friends after seeing a picture like that. Plus-”

“Shawn, it’s fine. I told her.”

Shawn had to take a moment, not wanting to misread what Bret was saying, “Told her?”

“About us.”

Shawn would’ve dropped the phone from shock if he wasn’t afraid of the call disconnecting. “You what?” Shawn wasn’t mad about it. He was just concerned that he’d forced Bret to come out to his mom. 

Shawn continues. “You know what this means, right? You’re out, Bret. Even if it’s just to your mom.”

Bret let out a sigh, saying gently, “I know. But I’m ready, Shawn. Remember when I told you I was serious about spending the rest of my life with you? I really meant it. I want you involved in every aspect of my life, and that includes you meeting my family. I was planning to tell them about you soon anyway. So I may as well do it sooner than later.”

Shawn’s heart melted, it never getting old hearing how serious Bret was about him. He asked softly, “But do you really want that?”

Bret smiled to himself. “Yes, I do.”

Shawn let out a deep breath, before asking “How does your mom feel about it?”

“About me? Or us?”

Shawn shrugged even though Bret couldn’t see him. “Both, I guess?”

Bret shifted back into a more comfortable position on the hotel bed as he recalled the conversation with his mother. “She didn’t make a big deal about it. She did say she was a bit surprised to find a man instead of a woman camping out in my house, but she was happy for me. If anything, she was more curious about you.”

Shawn quirked a brow. “Curious about me? What did you tell her?”

Bret grinned at hearing the suspicious tone in Shawn’s voice. “All good things, I swear. She just wanted to know things like where you’re from, how long we’ve been together, how ‘friendly’ we are.”

Helen didn’t know what Bret and Shawn’s relationship truly consisted of, but what she did know was that both men looked so happy in that photo, and if Shawn brought any ounce of happiness to Bret, she’d support them.

Shawn shifted, leaning his back on the wall in relief that the situation didn’t turn sour. However, he was curious about one thing. “What about your dad? Do you think he’ll be ok with it?”

Bret hesitated before answering. Not because he thought his dad would be an issue, but because he honestly didn’t know.

Bret answered carefully, “My dad’s a very…accepting guy. I’ve never heard him utter a negative word about gay people. However, I’m not sure if he’d feel the same way toward his own son. We don’t really talk about that sort of stuff.”

“I see,” was Shawn’s reply as his mind began to spiral at all of the possible negative experiences he could have with Bret’s dad. 

“You don’t have anything to worry about, Shawn,” said Bret, sensing that Shawn was overthinking. “My mom swore she wouldn’t say anything to him until I’m ready. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, ok?”

Shawn still wasn’t convinced, but he gave a soft, “Ok.”

“We can talk about it more when I get home.”

Shawn perked at that, asking, “What time are you coming home?” 

“Some time in the night.”

“Night? What time is your plane landing?”

“11:35, I think.”

Cue whiny Shawn in 3,2,1 “But Breeet, that’s so late! You need to hurry back home so you can take care of me.”

Bret chuckled, “Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t control flight times. And I haven’t heard you cough or sniffle one time during our conversation.”

Shawn gave a forced cough and put on his best sick voice. “See? I’m still sick. I need you here.”

“You’re milking this aren’t you?” It had been a few days, so Bret knew Shawn must be feeling at least a little better by now. 

Shawn coughed again, saying innocently, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, babe.”

“Right,” Bret said flatly, obviously not believing him. “Hey, I gotta go, but I’ll see you when I get home ok?”

Home. As in their home. The word still made Shawn’s stomach flutter. “Ok, see you when you get here. Bye, Bret.”

Shawn slept a little better that night knowing he’d be reunited with Bret the next day. 

#divider cr: @saradika #househusband!au #hartbreak #bret hart x shawn michaels #shawn michaels #bret hart #wwe fanfiction #alternate universe #bratty shawn at his finest #my attempt at writing prompts again

[ae-azile]

I really appreciate the voting pools you are doing for every upcoming chapter:D. It gives me a taste of what I can look forward to the next chapter of Progression. I love this story so much. I fear that Korn will make some real trouble now. And hopefully he won't get between KhunArm too much. Because yes, Porsche won't have this ship ruined for him:DD. Also I think that Korn won't like developing VegasKinn ship either (i.e. power cousin combo). If that's something he will try to break (again), Chay won't have it. It's his OTP now and Korn won't ruin it. Your writing is amazing and I can't wait for more.

I'm glad you enjoy the voting polls! Meant to make this last one have a week limit but forgot to change it. But they are fun to compile and sometimes hold me to keeping certain plot points that I might delay otherwise.

Korn is...ugh. I will say that he loves his sons in his own way, but he values his own perception and control too highly to truly listen to them and adjust his own views and behavior. In this universe, I have Tankhun getting kidnapped at 17 years old. He was highly valued and Korn's pride and joy up until that point, and then was completely traumatized by everything that happened to him during his kidnapping. I think Korn's mixture of guilt and disappointment that he never bounced back from it made it so he distanced himself from his oldest and went lax on the level of support he needed back then. Khun changed so much from the experience, and I think that was not expected. But it also made Korn more controlling and protective of Tankhun in his own way. He has not viewed Tankhun as capable in a long time, and this extends to normal life milestones that Tankhun was robbed of. He has been so brave and productive these last few years, both secretively and not so secretively, and it has gone mostly unnoticed by close to everyone (except for Arm, and maybe Pol). It probably saddens him greatly, but he knows it has been for the best because the good developments might be halted by his father, should he find out. This upcoming chapter, he may be proven right. It's integral that he has everyone else in his corner at this point. His next steps need to be a strange mixture of bold, deliberate, but also very planned.

I mean, after all, he can't let Porsche down. ArmKhun is his OTP! I think if drama occurs with Korn, he is going to be a mixture of pissed off, supportive of his ship, and extremely involved. He wants them to stay together, and being an active player in making sure that happens will be interesting for him lol. As for Chay, I know he doesn't want the relationship between the cousins to be affected by Korn or his decision to step out of retirement.

The reconciliation with the cousins will probably be kept quiet for now, but I don't see Korn liking it much either, not unless he can keep an active eye on Vegas, Macau, Pete, and Fern. He has been comforted by the knowledge that they are busy with new ventures that don't really affect the major family's, and the fact that Vegas and Pete are busy with fatherhood might be a positive in his eyes. They won't risk the baby's welfare by stepping out of line, and the baby can be used as potential leverage if they do. I don't think it will come to that, but I think Vegas has no desire to get involved with Korn again for this reason, as well as the fact that he views Korn as the root of several different traumas.

I do hope to explore some of this in the new chapter! I am behind schedule right now due to two deadlines at work, but I am currently writing an emotionally charged conversation between Kinn and Khun now. It is way overdue and some resentments are coming out, but it will hopefully be good for them and their bond in the scheme of things! Thank you for the ask!

#kinnporsche fanfic #armkhun fic #korn theerapanyakul #progression spoilers #vegaspete #progression 25

[gorteaus]

Menthuthuyoupi's Character Arc: an Overview

There isn’t a ton of discussion about Youpi’s thematic relevance to the Chimera Ant Arc (which is understandable. I do believe his character is pretty hard to parse), so this write-up has essentially been a long time coming.

Bear with me here, because there’s plenty beneath the cut.

The In-Between

In terms of thematic development of the guard, Youpi appears to be a middle way of all sorts between all three.

As has been pointed out by others before me (and with far more eloquence), Pitou is introduced to the audience as a character who lacks the ability to empathize with others.

By the end of his arc, he becomes largely characterized by his ability to sympathize with humanity.

Whereas Pouf is defined by his lack of it. His resentment only continues to increase, if anything, as the arc progresses. 

Youpi’s growth over the invasion and his subsequent ability to sympathize with the opponent mirrors Pitou in that regard. His struggle against the hunters takes him from being rather simple-minded in his view of humanity to being able to express awe and respect for his enemies.

He extends mercy to the hunters and honors Knuckle’s deal despite having gained the upper hand in a situation that would easily enable him to kill them.

On the flipside, the poor man’s rose and the near-death of the king quickly saps Youpi of any sympathy he has for the extermination team.

If Pitou’s growth could be abbreviated as positive with Pouf’s as negative, then Youpi’s character development could surely be described as having undergone both positive and negative change.

I’d also like to note that it isn't just these specific occurrences that make Youpi’s arc reminiscent of both Pouf and Pitou’s opposing natures however. I present a small but important scene that occurs shortly after Pouf and Youpi’s reunion wherein the former relays details of the palace invasion.

I’d like to draw attention to these series of panels:

Having been presented with Pitou’s struggle through a recount of events, Youpi is given insight to the situation. As in, he now possesses a deep understanding of the other’s actions (healing and defending Komugi) as a result of his own encounters and change in character. After all, he himself has bridged the gap between he and his opponents through honor and mercy.

Later down the line unfortunately, true to his nature of balance and much in line with Pouf’s own schemes, he goes from understanding Pitou’s desire to keep Komugi safe, to thinking this:

But keep Youpi's previous insight in mind.

Because it’ll be important for a concept I’d like to revisit in a later post.

Nen Ability

It’s a recurring motif throughout Hunter x Hunter’s storyline that nen abilities often reflect the nature of their users.

The power of transformation and Rage Blast are both respectively associated with Youpi over the invasion. Earlier outlines for this post initially only planned to cover Youpi’s ability to shapeshift (as I found the flexibility of this ability similar to the malleability of his character) without taking his Rage Blast into deeper account. From there, I intended to segue into Rage Incarnate until it occurred to me a couple weeks ago as of publishing this now, that both abilities are inextricably tied to his evolution in that they must be considered together.

Youpi's Rage Incarnate is neither uniquely a result of his ability to control his explosions or solely an offshoot of his transformation. 

It is just as much the power to control his rage...

...as it is transformation.

It is both.

The catalyst for Youpi's development can only ever exist because he takes two distinctly separate abilities and combines them. Rage Incarnate represents a unification of two wildly opposing concepts. Not just one or the other.

To drive the point home, a particular panel that I believe highlights the duality of Youpi’s nature:

He embodies both destruction and creation. Rage and transformation. Sympathy and a loss of it. Halves that are simultaneous and opposite.

The last panel is fairly direct- reciprocal (present or existing on both sides; each to the other; mutual) emotions which coexist in perfect balance. Youpi’s development is all about the concept of embodying emotions that should conflict but don’t. There’s a reason why his growth is kickstarted among other things by not just his ability to specifically control his anger, but in allowing rage to consume him whilst remaining calm.

The Rule of Three

Here is where I do think Youpi’s character may be lost on some. He doesn’t adhere to one end of the proverbial scale or the other- while he doesn’t exactly hold Meruem to the invisible ideal Pouf does, he neither quite measures up to Pitou’s standard of being able to protect Meruem’s best interests either (there's extenuating circumstances within the arc that result in this, but we’ll get to that in a bit). 

I drawback to a certain scene before the invasion, a subtle and yet key moment emphasized time and time again as fundamental in both the foreshadowing of Pitou, Pouf and Youpi’s ideology. Meruem asks each of the guards of his name.

Many others before me have already pointed out how each response closely follows along the lines of their development. To Pouf, Mereuem is simply the king. His role and title as ruler is inextricable from the person and the individual.

On the flipside, Neferpitou focuses Meruem’s feelings and places them in higher emphasis. Pitou’s response is one that both conceptualizes and prioritizes Meruem as an individual with his own wants and desires independent of his rank.

And Youpi is left…

…unable to answer. 

At the time of his response, a lack opinion could largely be attributed to his simple and uncomplicated nature, though by the moment of the invasion and his subsequent evolution, I believe his lack of response to be less of the idea that he is loyal to Meruem in the simplest way, but more so the fact that he simply doesn’t fit into any of the sharp contrasts that Pitou and Pouf represent.

Consider the framing of this scene. 

Pitou and Pouf are visually posited as direct opposites of one another.

Whereas Youpi quite literally exists as the medium to Pitou and Pouf’s ideology in Meruem’s line of questioning.

(I don’t think the line of procession that Togashi has specifically underscored for their ideologies here is a happy coincidence either, considering the order in which they've been positioned before Meruem is anything but.)

And this makes incredible sense if one were to view the royal guards as a collective, from Pouf to Youpi to Pitou, as a progression in sympathies- in not only their ability to sympathize with humanity as a whole, but a mirror in the way they come to view Komugi towards the end of the invasion.

Pitou desires to keep Komugi safe at all costs and as such, goes above and beyond to protect her. All he wants is for her to live. Pouf wants to kill her. Youpi goes from being neutral on Komugi, to understanding Pitou’s desire to protect her, to neither wanting to save or kill her, but desiring to keep her away from Meruem for reasons neither uniquely linked to any other ideology.

If Pouf and Pitou represent polar opposites and we’re meant to take all three guards as representative of different phases of sorts, then from one end point to another, there must surely exist a transitional phase, the in-between.

Varied Motivations

I elaborate on a topic briefly touched in the previous section as I feel it deserved a breakdown of its own. 

One of the fascinating things about the chimera ants is that the royal guard’s ideologies (and therefore their views on Komugi) develop and exist independently of one another’s influences.

So while Youpi and Pouf find brief common ground over their desire to keep Komugi away from Meruem towards the end of the chimera ant arc, they do so for wildly different reasons.

And I believe Youpi's desire to keep Komugi away from Meruem is neither uniquely linked to Pouf’s ideology (nor his newfound hatred of humanity).

Youpi’s thought process is a fairly subtle nod in a series of easy-to-miss panels, but fairly important in the implications they hold.

Interesting to note is the use of “Us,” in the translation here, with the panel accompanying this dialogue framing all three. It implies that Youpi is not just singularly concerned with the impact Komugi may have on Meruem, and suggests that he’s referring to not just an individual, but a dynamic that affects all three in turn; something likewise involving Youpi himself and Pouf whom are not relevant or contingent to Meruem’s status as all-ruling king.

Drawing upon a relationship which impacts he and Pouf all the same and fearing a wedge within their bond with Meruem, it appears Youpi planned to keep Komugi from Meruem- not because he decided that Meruem’s current state was actually conducive to his role as pinnacle of all, or even that he feared a difference in the king’s domineering personality- but ironically, the opposite. Though Meruem has retained a large degree of his original personality since rebirth, he’s undergone plenty of change.

What's changed about him exactly, and what do Pouf and Youpi now share with Meruem? My first thought seems to be the most obvious here- Youpi and Pouf revived Meruem. In doing so, they are now a part of him and say as much themselves - 

- it’s an absolute honor as a guard.

Both are bonded with him, both are capable of feeling his emotions, and not only do they share this connection, Meruem can feel theirs as well. He’s become capable of empathizing with them on a level he previously could not. Whereas he used to ignore them at best and slap them around at worst, he now offers to help Pouf when he begins to display signs of distress.

…and offers Youpi mercy and leniency in the face of his perceived short-comings.

We can see that Meruem’s new disposition has a notable effect on Youpi.

I found the inclusion of Pouf’s reaction to be important here as well. His expression falters because his joy has been overridden by the guilt he feels- he already has been and is conspiring against the king as his goals have always centered Meruem’s sovereignty. By contrast, Youpi lacks guilt as he is yet to hide anything from Meruem or even consider doing such. This lends credence to the theory that his decision to scheme against the king did not occur in wake of Meruem’s loss of memory, and sometime in between the new changes displayed within Meruem and their arrival to the palace, as was it likely inspired because of these particular developments.

I was genuinely curious at first as to what impact Youpi believed Komugi would have on his and Pouf’s relationship with Meruem, but one of the things that hadn’t initially occurred to me (and I think is important to remember) is that Meruem’s journey in sympathizing with others through his interactions with Komugi wasn’t an immediate process nor was it apparent to his guards right off the bat.

Only Pitou is ever given the full impression of Meruem and Komugi’s growing relationship through key incidents.

Up until then, the consensus on Komugi's impact seems to be one generally shared (by Pitou and Youpi at the least):

And a misconception that puts Youpi's actions during the latter act of the invasion into context. There’s a lot more that I could elaborate on in regards to this, but considering this analysis is already quite a read, that’s probably a post for another time.

Final

This section exists to help me conclude my write-up here. Considering Youpi is a terribly neglected character when it comes to read-throughs, watch-throughs, and thematic examinations of the CAA, I felt the extensive analysis was warranted. 

#menthuthuyoupi #youpi #analysis #rg

[swiftsuburbanlegends]

Blood Makes You Related, Loyalty Makes You Family

Sonny worshipped his father growing up. Seeing him work a con was like watching Picasso paint a master piece. He wanted nothing more than to become half the man his father was. And in that way, he had chosen his own path.

Because Jasper Delaney Sr. was a hard man to get to notice you, even if you were his only kid. So Sonny started running side hustles when he was seven. He’d host a game of 3 card monte on the play ground, earning most of his brownie obsession from the snacks kids had bet. And the day he switched to cash, and brought home 20 bucks, was the proudest day of his young life.

Until his father took him in the kitchen, and exchanged it for a five.

“That’s not even half,” Sonny protested.

Jasper winked at him. “The only way you get a full cut is by being in charge. And no offense kid, but you ain’t got the brains for that.”

Sonny was pretty sure his dad used the rest to buy beer and a pack of smokes. 

---

So as the years progressed and 3 card monte stopped pulling in the crowd, Sonny moved on to other things. He would pocket candy and poptarts at the drug store down the block, selling them to his classmates for half the retail price. And after the first time he tripped a kid for getting in his way, others started paying him just to be their muscle in the halls. It was a sweet set up, until he broke a kids arm in 8th grade and got sentenced to 14 months in juvenile detention.

Jasper only showed up to visit him once that first week. “Look Sonny, I’m headed out of town for awhile. Got a job to take care of in Vegas. Probably be gone the whole year.”

Sonny just nodded. He knew better than to ask for details. His father wouldn’t spill, and a place crawling with cops was the last spot for those kinds of talks. 

“But I’ll be back the day you get out. Hear me son?”

“Yeah, Pops.”

“Keep your head moving in here kid,” Jasper added as he patted his son on the shoulder and got up to leave.

---

It’s three days, three days in and Sonny is about ready to punch his way out. He hates his roommate, he hates the guards, he hates that his dad is off on some job while he’s stuck in there. All because his dad wanted him to lean a little on some guy’s kid. And Sonny being Sonny leaned a little too hard, and snapped the kids arm.

Some beefy guy knocks into his shoulder and Sonny is ready to haul off and deck him. But before he can take a step forward, a hand grabs his shoulder and pulled him back and around a corridor.

He’s greeted by a kid who’s about a foot shorter than him, and couldn’t be any older than Sonny himself. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Excuse me?” 

“Look I appreciate the move. Donnie is a dick to, well everyone, but if you make a move on him exactly two things are gonna happen,” he continued. “One, your sentence will probably be extended and he’ll get moved to the infirmary and two, if he gets moved then my planted contraband will not get discovered on him and my many weeks of planning will be for nothing. So either make him hurt for an hour or make him suffer for months?”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Rush Foster,” he replied with a smirk. “And you’re Jasper Delaney Jr. Got 14 months for aggravated assault, which if you hadn’t had such a shitty public defender could have been 6 with 6 months community service. Tough break on that one.”

“What is happening? How do you know any of that?”

“I pride myself on knowing things. Especially when it interests me.”

“Okay,” Sonny shook his head and moved to leave.

“If you’re interested, I could use a second pair of hands to take down Donnie’s sidekick goon. He’s been spouting crap for the last couple of months about getting a job with the Bertinelli’s when he gets out. But I have it on good authority that he’s made a deal with the DA to gather dirt on them in order to get his record wiped right after he turns over evidence.”

Sonny paused. His dad told him to never get in bed with Bertinelli business, why stay loyal to one family when you can do small jobs for many.

“Look i don’t care about them one way or another. But Donnie’s looking to make a name for himself when he gets out. If I can cut him and his friends off at the start, life on the outside is gonna be better for all. Trust me.”

“What did you say you’re name was again?”

“Rush.”

Sonny thought for a second. His father told him to follow his rules if he ever wanted to make it in the business. But his father also skipped town the second Sonny was locked up. Maybe he’d come back and maybe he wouldn’t. But Sonny was starting to think Jasper Delaney only had enough thought to look out for himself. And if he wanted to make it, he’d have to find people who had his back.

“Call me Sonny,” he replied sticking his hand out. “What can I do to help.”

After that moment, Sonny and Rush couldn’t be separated, gods help anyone who tried. 

#arrow next gen #sonny delaney #rush foster #the grey starlings #did i ever post this? #probably not

[serabellymrph]

Graphics Set Requests!

I'm opening up a few slots for some graphics requests if people want. Please note that for the sake of my own brain, when I do a set, I usually do a full set because it's easy to maintain consistency if I do it all at once.

A full set includes:

A header image that doubles as a background for your blog.

A matching avatar to the header image.

Banner headers for answered asks, headcanons, blog updates, dash games, mains calls, ooc notes, open starters, and a starter call. With these, I can put any text on them that you want, so if you need one that says something specific, just let me know ahead of time!

A small footer image that you can use as a spacer.

Please note that because these are done by request only and not paid commissions, you may only request for up to two muses at a time (esp for multimuses). This is just to keep me from being overburdened.

As well, please note that all requests include the following:

I don't overprocess or over-posterize icons. Put simply, I don't like the style and I don't like how it degrades image quality. Tiny images don't vibe with me.

I don't use photoshop, so if you want a specific PSD used, the answer is no. I make my stuff from scratch, period. You can post a few ideas and I can try to emulate those styles, but I make no promises.

For game characters, you're free to provide screenshots, but often I'll grab my own screencaps. If you want caps from a specific scene, then let me know! I have most of all 3 games recorded, so I should be able to pull from those scenes and get high-quality shots (I have 1080p recordings).

All images are designed to scale and be readable on both mobile devices and on the desktop dashboard. I will not make my fonts any smaller or tinier because of this. They're set at those defaults intentionally to maintain readability. They'll also scale with different screen sizes, so they'll always look pretty good no matter where your followers are looking at your stuff.

Please plan to use the graphics I make if you request for at least an extended period of time. If you're going to change it a week later, then... don't request, please. It takes time and effort to make them, and I'd rather that not be wasted after you've cycled through it a week later. If you do this repeatedly, I'll likely blacklist you from requesting.

Please be available via DM so I can show you progress images as well as ask questions throughout the process. The longer you take to respond, honestly, the longer it'll take your request to be finished, and I do like to finish them all in one sitting (so I don't forget what I've done sometimes, lol). I can usually sit down and do a full request in a day, but I do need to get a little feedback throughout the process to make sure it's something you'll like.

Interested? Send me a DM on this blog (or a side-blog of mine you're following) and we can chat! Want to see some of my stuff? Check out my side blogs, as I've used them there.

[arsipwijen]

I Want To Be Yours

Pair: Lee x Polaris Category: Yume/self-ship, Canonverse, Fluff Content Warning: Slight White Day event story and Entropy affection story spoilers Chapter: One-shot

It was his decision to make his commandant as his lover after careful consideration.

That day was yet another busy day for Polaris. The same old work with papers and reports, as Gray Raven had not been dispatched to a surface mission since a few weeks ago. Even if Polaris herself found surface missions to be dangerous and energy-draining, at least it was less boring than making reports, sending data, or signing countless documents. But that was her duty, and her source of happiness--she still enjoyed working as a commandant, and her job was a way for her to throw her past behind. Being in Gray Raven had calmed her soul down, even when the field was full of tumultuous battles.

Exhausted with work, the commandant decided to look around to rest her eyes on the screen, and at the center of the office was Lucia, who was busy helping Polaris with her work. Even Polaris didn't understand why she was there, sitting on the couch and sorting her document archives. The only conclusion she could get was that Lucia did not want her to shoulder everything alone. Polaris was a bit confused but ended up accepting her help. Perhaps Lucia was right, she mustn't work alone all the time.

Her eyes wandered again, this time noticing Liv. Her hands were busy making some crafts, possibly to decorate their shared office or to decorate her dormitory. Regardless of her reason for making those crafts shaped like sheep, rabbits, frogs, and other kinds of animals, Polaris liked the look of the crafts. But due to not wanting to disturb Liv's concentration, Polaris refrained from telling Liv that she was doing a good job with making the crafts. Instead, she focused again on her work and finished whatever she was told while they were not out on a surface mission. Slacking off too much won't be a good thing.

For what felt like an eternity, Polaris' attention was on her work. She had finished two reports about Gray Raven's activities within the past month as well as their latest surface missions, and replying to some important e-mails from Celica, until she was checking one more e-mail from Celica. One that surprised her the most due to the contents inside of it, as well as the sender of the e-mail.

Dear Polaris,

I hope this e-mail finds you well. My name is Allen, and I am writing on behalf of the World Government Association of Art. I would like to extend a warm invitation to you and Gray Raven to attend our banquet at the Main Hall of the World Government Association of Art's building. I and all executive staff of the World Government Association of Art had discussed with Eden Government's executive figures before writing this mail to invite you and Gray Raven as a whole, and after receiving their approval, I have decided to write this invitation to you.

We, the World Government Association of Art, are hoping that you would like to come and present a speech about the progress of Gray Raven's future plans in hopes of lifting the beliefs and spirits of the other banquet attendees. We believe you are more than capable of being our fire of hope in this chaotic, dystopian world. You can also allow Gray Raven to speak about their hopes for the future as well, should you wish for them to say a few words as well.

Your and Gray Raven's presence would mean so much to every attendee, as well as to me and the World Government Association of Art as a whole. We hope that you and Gray Raven can attend our event. A follow-up mail will be sent about the date of the banquet to you, two days before the event.

Sincerely,

Allen

President of World Government Association of Art

For a moment, Polaris could not believe her eyes. Being invited to a banquet at WGAA and giving an inspirational speech was not on her list of things that could happen during the current month. For better or worse, all of Gray Raven was invited, and the event was going to be held within a few days. She could've sworn that she panicked inside, but managed to keep herself together for the time being.

"Lucia, Liv." She called the two girls calmly. At the voice of their commandant, the two girls quickly got up and approached Polaris' desk, their eyes showing a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Something that we can help with, Commandant?" Polaris shook her head. "Nothing, I only wanted to announce something. I will send comms to Lee, he also needs to be here. This is pretty important, I think."

Opening her comms terminal, Polaris sent a voice message to Lee, ordering him to come quickly to her office. At this point in time, Polaris was familiar enough with Lee's schedule from her observations of his activities. Lee's activity at this hour was to be in his personal workspace doing whatever he wanted, just a few rooms away from the Gray Raven's main office. It took a while for Lee to finish his work, before giving Polaris a quick, short reply to her voice message. Be there in a second, it read.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Lee finally entered the main office. He received expectant looks from the other three, but the look that caught his attention the most was the look from the commandant herself. He could've sworn the thermal modules were burning again but to a lesser degree than the ones he usually felt. "What is it, Commandant?"

Satisfied, Polaris clapped her hands. Taking a deep breath, she began explaining the reason why she gathered all of them inside the office. "So, for... whatever reason, WGAA has invited all of us to come to their banquet on Saturday. I was expected to give a speech, and the important guy from WGAA said that you guys could give a speech of your own if any of you would like to. Not mandatory, but you can."

Lucia, Liv, and Lee nodded in understanding, yet Polaris could see a tinge of surprise in all of the Construct's eyes. She felt a bit of relief in her chest, knowing that her squad was equally surprised as her. Or better, knowing that there's a probability that they were also as nervous as her. For a moment, Polaris continued to observe them in silence, as if she was waiting for an answer from the three Constructs before her.

"Perhaps I should give a speech too, as I am Gray Raven's captain. Would you mind that, Commandant?" Lucia asked Polaris. From her tone, Polaris knew that she was determined to help lessen the burden of speaking in front of many people, and she also wanted to carry out her duty as a captain. Lee and Liv, on the other hand, did not say a thing, indicating their refusal to say anything at the banquet. Polaris clapped again, satisfied that everything was settled. "Great. Lucia and I will give some words to the attendees, you both can wait. The banquet is in a few days, so you might want to prepare your best outfits. I will also do the same."

"Roger, Commandant!"

Polaris nodded in satisfaction and dismissed her squad. Lucia and Liv immediately returned to what they were doing until they were done, leaving for their own quarters. Lee also did the same, walking out of the office to head to his room while thinking of his commandant's words. Yet before Lee had left the office completely, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Lee, I look forward to what you'll be wearing."

"It's probably the same suit you've seen me wearing, but I'll make it clean and crisp for the event."

In his room, Lee pondered in front of his coating wardrobe. His thoughts drifted back to the day when he wore that suit. He remembered he wore that suit when he and the Gray Ravens were out on a special mission to entertain children at an event. He would perform various magic tricks, and gain reward tickets for it. He also remembered how he performed tricks at the streets during the same event and made sure his angle was perfect for the commandant herself to see, and tell her about the secrets of some of his magic tricks. Lee remembered it all fondly.

But the memory that Lee remembered best, was how he made a flurry of paper roses that rained down, and many people picked a rose to give to their special ones. He would never admit it, but he considered the gesture sweet. And for his commandant specifically, he hid a small package of chocolate inside the petals. It made him flustered, but what made him even more flustered was the fact that all the events had happened after that day.

The day they professed their feelings for one another on The Nighter.

Lee was aware of his commandant's feelings, and so did Polaris with his. However, it had stopped at that and never went further. They had no "status". They did not specify it at all. To them, acknowledging and accepting one another's feelings were more than enough. After all, he and Polaris were living in what seemed to be an endless war. A wrong decision, and their relationship would be over.

But today, Lee somehow felt differently about the idea.

Lee began to think, what if others would approach the commandant, and profess their love? What if the others would make her leave him, as they still had no relationship status at all? What if he lost Polaris? Those thoughts began to fill his mind, and it was making him feel uneasy. He also thought, now that he and Polaris had gone quite far in their relationship, why not make things official with her?

But again, Lee was still hesitant. He had the possibility of forcing his feelings too much towards Polaris should he ever voice his desire to make Polaris his girlfriend. More importantly, would she agree to his request? Lee knew that commitments were not Polaris' forte, and she preferred things to be more open-ended. Asking Polaris to be his might lead to him losing her, so in the end, Lee decided to keep quiet.

"... I'll think of it some other time," Lee mused. He then proceeded to browse the clothes inside his coating wardrobe and took a good look at the coating he wore during that event. Without realizing it, Lee had a small smile plastered on his face. His artificial heart's beating rate also grew. Was he excited? Probably yes. But like usual, Lee would never voice it out.

Back in the office, Polaris was still busy with her work. Luckily, Polaris only needed to reply to a few more e-mails and send some documents before she could finish and prepare for the banquet. She had to make sure that she had the appropriate attire to attend the event, and soon after she finished her work, Polaris immediately headed to her dormitory to look at her wardrobe. She had an assortment of clothes, yet none seemed to suit the occasion. Polaris began to wonder, was she too focused on her job that she barely had time to buy clothes, or add more variations to her wardrobe? But then again, her job was always related to office work or combat. If she was not working, she would only wear casual clothes.

"I need to get clothes for formal occasions today. I need at least two or three dresses, just in case I will be invited to more of these things."

Polaris closed her wardrobe doors slowly with thoughts of going shopping in her mind. Afterward, she checked her current amount of Black Cards inside her account. "This is probably enough," Polaris muttered to herself. A sigh of relief escaped the commandant's lips, knowing she had enough time and money to buy her something nice later on the streets of Babylonia before the banquet. Deciding that she would prepare ahead of time instead of the last minute, she took off her coat and threw it aside before heading out from the main office. After all, she was done with her work–she could do whatever she wanted.

Outside, Polaris was met with the sight of Lee, who seemed to be done with his crafts inside his dormitory and decided to head out for himself. When he saw Polaris, he had a strange look on his face, as if he was scanning Polaris in a way. "Going somewhere, Commandant?" Lee asked, to which Polaris replied with a simple nod. She had guessed that Lee was just curious about where she was heading, hence making her walk past Lee while keeping quiet.

But Lee wasn't going to buy her silence just like that.

Quickly, he followed Polaris and caught up to her, before matching his walking pace with hers. His actions were met with a look of surprise from Polaris, yet she decided to leave him be and let him follow her. As they walked together outside the building, Polaris decided to ask the blond Construct the question she just had in mind: "Why did you decide to follow me?"

Lee only replied with a shrug and kept quiet. But should anyone look close enough, the heat in his thermal module was rising. His mind also replayed a scene from his memory, back to the times when Polaris would accompany him to buy a chip when her small dancing robot was broken and needed a chip replacement. He knew that to him and Polaris, that day felt like a date, even when it was not one and they were yet to develop feelings for one another. Another memory of the "date" that Lee remembered was the way he tugged at Polaris' arm and pulled her away when a girl walked up to him and asked for his number. Now that Lee thought of it, he was a bit out of his mind when he just pulled Polaris away like that. It's as if he was pulling away his girlfriend when she wasn't even his.

"... I only wanted to accompany you. Just think of it as my way of repaying you for accompanying me back when I was buying the chip for your robot. Plus, going outside alone for a woman isn't the best idea."

Polaris nodded in acknowledgment, now that she knew of Lee's intent to follow her outside. Lee's second statement, however, intrigued her in a way. Did he mean that he wanted to protect her from men who could harass her? Polaris would never know, but that was her safest bet considering Lee's earlier statement. The pair kept silent on their way out until they reached Babylonia's shopping district. It puzzled Lee a little for her to be here.

"Why here, out of all places?" Lee asked, his blue eyes looking intently at Polaris. What puzzled him even more, was that Polaris was looking for a boutique. Polaris chose to keep her mouth shut, however, and continued walking towards a boutique that sold fancy dresses. When Lee followed her inside the boutique and browsed through the dresses, he finally understood why Polaris would head to a boutique. She was there to get herself a new dress for the banquet.

Lee kept on following Polaris around, accompanying her browse through the dresses. For some reason, he had an urge to help Polaris pick a dress but he decided to stay silent for the time being and let his commandant choose what she wanted. The first dress she had an eye on was a black high-low dress with silver ornaments. Polaris thought that the dress was pretty, but decided against buying it because of the sudden discomfort she had when imagining herself in it. The second one she had an eye on was a halter dress. It was black in color, but she considered it too plain in terms of design due to the lack of ornaments on it. The third one was a wrap dress with a large, white silk ribbon and some sparkles to decorate it. Even so, Polaris was still not a fan of the dress silhouette, and only loved the silk ribbon. Sighing, Polaris looked at Lee like she was begging for him to help her choose. Lee took notice and nodded at Polaris with confidence. "My fashion sense is good enough. I'll help you pick. You can sit somewhere, Commandant," Lee instructed.

As Lee told, the commandant took a seat at one of the small chairs inside the boutique while Lee moved around to choose a dress for her. Polaris felt a bit concerned, yet she would trust Lee's judgment for today. Lee, on the other hand, walked around the boutique and browsed through the dresses. He considered Ris' preference to even the smallest details like the decorative aspects. It took Lee a while until he came back to his commandant with a black knee-length tulle dress with black lace on the upper parts. The outermost layer of the dress also had a white gradient, and not much sparkles were present--just the way Polaris preferred. Walking back to Polaris, he presented her with his dress of choice.

The commandant could not believe her eyes. Lee just picked out a dress, a beautiful one, even. When asked about the price, Lee replied, "It's affordable for you. 4,500 Black Cards, while you've saved up for more than 700,000." He remarked while showing the price tag to his commandant. Excited, she took the dress from Lee and headed for the fitting room to try it out for herself. The dress suited her perfectly, but she still decided to ask Lee for his opinion on the dress. Coming out from the fitting room, she called out to Lee. "So... Does this suit me enough?"

Lee swore that the heat inside his modules was rising again. The sight of his commandant wearing such a pretty dress and the idea of seeing her in that with other accessories during the banquet made him feel both flustered and excited at the same time. "... Good enough, Commandant," Lee remarked. Even with his words that sounded harsh, Polaris could tell that it was his way of telling her that she looked good, and that was how it always been.

After gaining Lee's approval, Polaris headed back to the fitting room to change back into her regular clothes. She planned to buy only that dress for the occasion and after changing back, she and Lee immediately headed for the cashier. When Polaris paid for her dress, the store clerk said to her, "Such a nice dress! And I saw that your partner chose it for you, too. How sweet of him!"

Polaris scratched her head nervously at the remark. This was not the first time that people called Lee as her partner. In fact, this was probably the tenth time someone would say it. She has heard things from other commandants about how close she was towards Lee, and she even heard from neighboring squads and even from Lee's brother Murray. "N-no, he's not my partner. He's just a colleague from my workplace who happened to pass by my workplace, and he decided to accompany me while I go shopping," Polaris remarked, defending herself from the claim. In addition, Lee also nodded at Polaris' words and making it seem like he agreed with her, even if he was in the colleague-zone. At least, they confessed to each other on the Kowloong Nighter at some point in time.

Done with their shopping, the pair walked outside the boutique and took in the air of Babylonia's artificial atmosphere. Polaris was about to ask Lee whether he wanted to head elsewhere than just shopping, but Lee already had a destination in mind. "I will be outside for long. I just remembered that I had to grab a few stuff, and it's probably better for you not to follow me around. You'll get exhausted," Lee remarked. "I'll be sure to be back before six in the evening. Be careful on your way back, Commandant."

Lee turned his back from Polaris and walked towards the distance. Polaris was a bit confused, but decided to shrug it off and head back. She understood that Lee was worried about her stamina, and heading back was her best option. Following Lee around while he was shopping would only lead him into scolding her, so Polaris took her leave back to the office. A mixture of happiness and disappointment was inside her chest–Polaris was glad that Lee chose a dress for her, but she felt a bit disappointed that she didn't get to accompany Lee outside for longer.

"I should head back," Polaris muttered to herself. Turning her heel, she headed back to the Gray Raven office with her new dress in hand. As for Lee, he headed elsewhere--one that his commandant probably won't bother to ask about. He had his own agenda to fulfill, and he refused to explain to his commandant until the time was finally right.

The few days passed like the blink of an eye for Gray Raven. Polaris and Lucia had prepared their speeches, the follow-up mail about the set date was already received and read, and each Gray Raven members had chosen their attire for the event. Tonight was their big night, and so they had to look their best.

Especially the commandant, who had been staring in front of her vanity mirror for a few minutes.

Polaris had applied her make-up and wore the dress she bought a few days prior, yet she felt like something was off about her. Seeing herself in the mirror all dolled up felt off for her–it did not feel like her, if anything. Her style had never been this feminine, and so Polaris felt a bit nervous to go out in such manner. Moreover, the speech she was going to give was nerve-racking. The eyes would all be on her, and she mustn't mess up.

"Nngh..." Polaris grunted. She felt like her stomach was being churned from the anxiety. Failure had always been her biggest enemy, and should she mess up during her speech, she would feel like she wanted to bury herself six meters deep under the ground.

In the midst of her thoughts, a knock on the metal door of her quarters snapped her out. Polaris quickly opened the door, revealing Lee with a white, medium-sized box in his hand. "I see that you're ready, Commandant. Here, I brought you something. It's up to you whether you want to wear them today or not."

Lee left her quarters as abruptly as he arrived, leaving the commandant in confusion. Polaris closed the door before she took a good, long look at the box. It had nothing like a logo on it, suggesting that the box was from Lee himself. Curious, she opened the box slowly and saw its contents--a pair of black lace gloves, earrings, and a card that read, "Think of these as my gratitude for you, Commandant. Good luck with your speech later."

At that moment, Polaris could've sworn she had a dumb smile on her face as she slipped her hands inside the gloves. But for a moment, she hesitated to wear the earrings due to her feelings of discontent in giving herself more accessories.

But well, it was for Lee's sake anyway. Might as well make him happy.

Luckily, all she had to do was clip them on her ears and she was ready for the night's big event. Once she was all set, she headed out from her quarters and meet up with her squad.

The WGAA main hall was filled with many important guests from equally many factions, some of which are acquaintances to Allen himself. For the commandant, it was nerve-racking to know that she would be speaking to that many people in one venue. As she was connected to Lucia at that time, the female Construct could feel how nervous her commandant was. "We will nail this, Commandant," Lucia reassured, patting Polaris on her shoulder. "Liv and Lee would be watching us too, so just focus on them and pretend no one else are here."

Lucia's words encouraged Polaris enough, and during their time to head on the stage, they were prepared and ready. Polaris felt like there were no eyes that were going to judge her, and the focus on her mind was on Gray Raven. She knew that they would still love her regardless of the mistakes she made while delivering her speech. The event began with a greeting from Allen himself, before it was time for the Gray Raven commandant to take the stage.

The greeting and first few paragraphs of Polaris' speech was pretty well, with her addressing many issues smoothly. Her voice was clear, unlike how she would usually talk in her workplace. For the first time after a few years that had passed, she felt quite alive to talk in front of others. Gray Raven got her back, after all.

For a few more paragraphs, Polaris was doing great. Lucia, who was looking at her commandant's performance, lightly clapped her hand. The sight of her commandant being in her zone was a rare sight in her eyes, and she loved every second of it. Unfortunately, Lucia's excitement didn't last long the moment Polaris' mind blanked out. To make matters worse, she spotted someone giving her commandant a few looks of displeasure as if to show disgust.

And to Polaris, the one who saw it all, it stung her a little. But she had to focus herself again before she could finally finish her speech. A few seconds of backtracking later, and she managed to finish her speech with an apology, a thank you, and a polite bow towards the audience before exhaling in relief and left the stage for Lucia's speech. Below, she was met with an equally excited Liv, and a proud Lee.

"You did amazing, Commandant!"

"I agree. You may have blanked out a little back there, but it wasn't bad."

Polaris was relieved. The sight of the people with the disgusted looks seemed to have just disappeared from her mind at the sight of her teammates. And for a few more minutes, her gaze was locked on Lucia's figure. The way she delivered everything was perfect, and her exxpression showed resolution in every word she spoke. As Lucia's commandant, she loved how alive Lucia felt there too.

"And that concludes what I could deliver tonight. Thank you very much for your attention."

Lucia bowed down to the audience, and then followed with the sound of people clapping as she got down from the stage. Once she was back with her squad, she gave a cue for all of Gray Raven to do a fistbump like how they once did in Kowloong some time ago. After a closing from Allen, they proceeded to enjoy the night like how they originally intended while live music played in the background to liven up the atmosphere. Lucia quickly headed to the sweets corner, while Liv was being approached by women and girls who were invited to the banquet for small talk. Polaris on the other hand, headed to the drinks area. The melon-flavored syrup drink attracted her eyes, and she wanted to have a sip of that. On the other hand, Lee decided to go away from the crowd while no one was looking. The stairs that lead to the upper corridors of the WGAA building caught Lee's attention, and he decided to head upstairs for a little alone time before going back to his commandant and squad.

Lee saw the endless void of space through the windows. He knew that it was probably an illusory space created to project the times where Earth was still the blue planet it once was before the Punishing Virus broke out at some point, but it didn't matter–it was beautiful, and he was going to keep his eyes on the sight while his mind wandered around in a reverie. Lee's thoughts from a few days back began to intensify. He really wanted to say it–say that he wanted to officially make Polaris his girlfriend. Say that he wanted to be the only person that would take care if her. Say that he wanted to be the one who would protect her.

But of course, his anxiety was still there. The fear of rejection, the feeling of getting pushed away by the commandant that he had devoted himself to. He didn't want any of those to happen. Sighing, Lee closed his eyes for a few moments to focus himself again. He felt like he was being illogical for wanting to claim his commandant all to himself and thinking about his emotions too much. But that side of him–the side he had when he was still known as Morian, was still right there somewhere in his M.I.N.D. and begged him to just give in to his feelings. The conflicting thoughts led Lee nowhere, and he felt himself getting more unstable. Was he on the verge of tears? Lee didn't know, but he hated it for sure.

Lee almost fell completely into his negative feelings, but then he felt a familiar voice call out to him in worry. Turning his head to the voice's direction, he saw Polaris looking at him in worry. "I have kept connections with all of Gray Raven's M.I.N.D. system, but yours is the most unstable, Lee. Something wrong?"

The blonde Construct flinched upon hearing his commandant's words. So she had been keeping herself connected, Lee thought. As much as he was flustered to admit that his M.I.N.D. was unstable from all the thoughts he had, he felt relieved that Polaris was there. Lee was considering to use this as a chance, but he had to confirm that everything was under control.

"Not much. Just some crazy fluctuations, but I'm glad you are here."

"... If you say so."

Polaris decided that she would have to keep Lee company for a while, in case the fluctuations happen again. But due to how she kept herself connected, she could still feel the tension coming from Lee like he wanted to say something he had long kept in mind but did not dare to say a word about it. "Lee, you know you can trust me. Do you want to say something to me?" Polaris asked again with the same concerned tone as before. "I can't understand M.I.N.D. fluctuations, so it's better to tell me if you got something that you're worried about."

Hearing his commandant's words, Lee only sighed and averted his gaze to the window. His mind was still weighing all the options and results he could get from asking his commandant out, causing more fluctuations in his system. Polaris clearly did not like it, making her cut her connection with Lee and rushed to hold his metal fingers. Cold, Polaris thought. But at least her hands were warm enough to ease the tension Lee felt in one way or another.

Lee flinched at the gesture. Never in his life he thought that he would hold hands with a woman–one that he had feelings and cared for the most, even. Awkwardly, he let himself hold Polaris' hand back while looking away from her as the heat inside his thermal modules rose. The tension calmed down a little, but Polaris could still feel it. Deciding that she should reattempt to calm down the blonde Construct for one last time, she chose to scold him. "Lee, I really don't know what's with you tonight, but I wish to know. Tell me everything–I want to help."

Feeling the force coming from his commandant's words, Lee relented and took a deep breath. Afterwards, he looked over to the commandant and locked his gaze with hers. Despite the countless possibilities of responses, Lee decided to take the chance. To Lee, it's better than regret. He had many regrets already, and he did not want to have them in those moments like what he was having at that moment. "Commandant, we live in a tumoltuous world, we knew that already. And I also knew that it was the reason why you chose not to specify our relationship. But tonight, I wanted to make things different."

Lee stayed silent for a while, then continued his words as he finally looked at his commandant. "I just... want to be yours, Commandant. Sure, a relationship may not work in this universe, but I want to try and make things work. So, Commandant... Do you wish to be mine?"

Polaris couldn't believe her ears. Lee was asking her to be his lover right in front of her. Blood rushed to the commandant's cheeks, and the grip she had on Lee's hand grew tighter. Polaris let out a small squeak in an attempt to respond, but no words came out from her lips from how flustered she was at the Lee's request to be her lover. "It's okay, Commandant. I understand that you may not want to, but–"

"No, Lee. I want to be yours."

Lee swore that his heat regulation module was going overdrive. Polaris accepted him. However, he had to keep a calm look on his face, resulting in them awkwardly holding hands while the light from the scenery behind them illuminated the dim corridor. Polaris' face was blushing, while Lee averted his gaze from his commandant and held his chin with his right hand. They stayed in position for a long while, until Polaris proposed to go back to the first floor.

"Oh, um... Should we head back now?"

"Y-yes. We should. Gray Raven might be looking for us."

Polaris and Lee headed downstairs together, still hand-in-hand. It all still felt awkward and different, especially with their status after they finally sealed their relationship. But they were also looking forward to their future. Even if they knew that the road ahead won't be smooth, they knew they would still have each other. They would still continue helping and protecting one another like before. Be it as a commandant and aide or as lovers, they would still be doing the same thing no matter which universe they were in.

That was their choice, and that was a choice they would never regret.

#beyondtimespace #leeris-canonverse

[lucidpiner]

He need some milk soundbyte

and as you know, states are different, the unemployment numbers are different state to state. this is partly because hundreds of flights were canceled in the wake of hurricane ida's devastating flooding.Īren't going to reopen or if they're concerned about unemployment running out, myself and secretary yellen sent a letter to the states letting them know that they have the ability to use the american rescue plan money to extend the benefits if they'd like in each state. each expected to fly about two million people over the long weekend. let's zoom in to what united and delta are reporting. it is, though, still fewer holiday weekend flights than before the pandemic. that is more than twice as many than last year. the tsa is reporting that more than 3.5 million travelers passed through airports on friday and saturday alone. let's look at some of the newest data, some of the fresh numbers we have for you this morning. but the travel industry in general is struggling to get back on to its feet. on your celebration note, you're right, some of us watched ucla beat lsu over the weekend. erroll barnett is at reagan national airport outside washington. that's the highest monthly total since january. in august alone, we recorded more than four million infections. is averaging more thanġ50,000 new cases a day according to the cdc. all of us have dealing with the threat from the delta variant of covid. others have celebrating the new college football season. millions of americans are traveling far from home over the holiday weekend. meanwhile, cbs news has reached out to bob dean jr., the nursing home owner for comment, he has not responded to our request. > reporter: the louisiana department of health reports trying to inspect this facility after hurricane ida. they are human beings, and they deserve good treatment. > reporter: meanwhile, henderson says after speaking out she's been told she'll never be hired back if the nursing homes reopen, but she hopes doing so will ensure nothing like what she witnessed will ever happen again. > any place the lord blesses us to go out of this heat, where we're able to get some food, get a hot bath, and, you know, just some comfort. They're leaving the state until the power returns. in new orleans the heat index yesterday was 102 degrees, and many communities still don't have enough food, water, and other essential supplies. more than half a million people are without power more than a week after the storm. welcome to "cbs this morning." let's begin here with the unfolding crisis in louisiana where many people are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of hurricane ida. > with these numbers you wonder are we going to go back. you realize how much you missed them when you saw the real crowds. > i guess touchdowns you just travels - > i'll say this - it was good to see fans back at games. > this morning's "eye opener" is presented by progressive - making it easy to bundle insurance. but - > the luck of the irish? he does! the irish win it in a thriller in tallahassee. Sign up below to be added to our Daily Health Stories distribution list.Cruising - > florida state down 18 points in the fourth quarter came back to send the game to overtime. These parents deserve support as well, since they may feel guilty or even go through a grieving period. Szugye knows not everyone is able to breastfeed. And so we want to make sure that our practices and policies are set up to support moms that choose to breastfeed.”ĭr. “The policy is really more a call to action to everyone and that includes hospitals. The updated guidelines also call for more support for moms to help them meet these new recommendations. Szugye said breastfeeding has been linked to a decreased risk for type two diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. It can also help protect against ear infections, respiratory infections, different GI illnesses and autoimmune diseases.Īs for the mother, Dr. She also notes there are many health benefits to continued breastfeeding.įor example, breast milk can help reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Szugye said the recommendations were made to ensure moms who do choose to breastfeed beyond a year don’t feel ashamed, judged or alienated. It’s just the duration now that has changed, and that guideline really aligns with what the World Health Organization and UNICEF had always recommended,” explained Heidi Szugye, MD, Medical Director of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic and Center for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.ĭr. “They have always recommended breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months. CLEVELAND – The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued new breastfeeding recommendations, which include continuing to breastfeed a child, if possible, until they’re at least two years old.

#He need some milk soundbyte

[1kook]

skirt chasers — drabble iv

THIS IS A SKIRT CHASERS DRABBLE - FIND THE OTHERS HERE ! SUMMARY Jungkook was a man. A skirt chaser. He could only withstand so much torture before he broke, and seeing your gorgeous, smooth legs on display after so many weeks of starvation awoke an ancient being inside of him. WARNINGS JK POV!!!, attempted solo masturbation, k*ssing, jk’s extensive knowledge of pornos, grinding, cunnilingus, face sitting, spit kink, light choking, praise kink, self nipple play, a love for boobies, unprotected sex, use of the pull out method, i love u kink, its kinda hinted tht oc has a somnophilia kink? not rlly but tagging just in case -_- RATING m (18+) WC 6.3k this can't even classified as a drabble anymore wtf 

NOTES i have had this in my drafts since may 3. it is december 21. everyone point n laugh. anyway i very much love stimbo sc jk and i think he’s very cool so here’s a whopping 6k of the inner mechanisms of his big nerdy, college hottie brain <3

He doesn’t notice you’ve drifted off until he’s three solid paragraphs into his semester-long research paper. “Babe, can you toss me my charger it’s over…” 

 Jungkook swears he’s gonna take every single one of those stupid skirts and burn them to ashes. They had done their duty well, had given him the girlfriend of his dreams, but now they were just pushing their luck. What was once the epitome of a cute and sweet girlfriend, has now become the bane of Jungkook’s existence. He loathed them, he hated them, he could go twenty million decades without ever seeing them again because the torture they inflicted upon him was borderline inhumane. 

 Holy fuck, he knew you were gorgeous— hello, he was your boyfriend, thinking you were gorgeous was very high on the list of requirements you searched for in someone of his position —but he’s absolutely positive that you’re probably the sexiest woman he’s ever seen in all his twenty-two years. And Jungkook’s seen a lot of porn. Like, a lot. 

He can’t help himself. Before Jungkook knows it, he’s rolling his desk chair over to where you’re sprawled across his bed, skin so soft where it presses against his pillow, lips so plush, and he’s pretty sure there’s a tiny, tiny droplet of drool begging to escape from between your puckered lips. Normally, he’d tease you to hell and back for this, knows how flustered you become when he catches you off guard, but today he lets it slide in favor of focusing on something else about your dozing form. 

It’s the soft curve of your hips from where you lay on your side, smooth legs tucked close to you, and that goddamn pleated skirt giving you absolutely no protection from the eyes of the world around you. Luckily, he made sure to lock the door to his room when you came over today. And he’s almost positive Taehyung isn’t home anyway. So there’s no potential roommate to see you here, cuddled against Jungkook’s teddy bear, blue lace panties tucked between your folds. 

They were his favorite. 

Adorable and soft, and he knows that particular style— the cheeky kind —is your preferred style, because it’s the one he sees almost every time the two of you fuck. Seamless, because you hate when they tug against your skin, and baby blue simply because it was your favorite color. He can’t recall the last time they had been so exposed like this. 

God, how many times had this same situation occurred? You dropping by to encourage him to do his homework, before eventually falling asleep and leaving him to his own devices. A lot of times, Jungkook guesses, because each and every time you wake up and nab one of his protein bars from the stash by his bed. Jungkook’s gone through four boxes in the last month. 

But how many times had this happened with you in a skirt? Never. This was a rarity. 

As the year progressed and yours and Jungkook’s relationship reached new levels of intimacy and adoration, Jungkook is sad to say the skirts had begun appearing less and less. It was winter and, unlike the furnace that was Jungkook’s body, he’s pretty sure you were a cold-blooded reptilian at this point, always leeching off of him for warmth. So since you couldn’t stand the cold, the skirts slowly faded into the background, replaced by Jungkook’s second favorite: the leggings. 

He was no complainer, Jungkook respected your decisions! He wasn’t going to pressure you into wearing those cute tiny skirts he loved so much just because it fueled some PornHub-esque fantasy in his brain, especially not as a harsh winter descended upon you and the days became colder. He would not risk a sick girlfriend in the name of a horndog daydream. 

But holy mother of pearl, Jungkook was a man. A skirt chaser. He could only withstand so much torture before he broke, and seeing your gorgeous, smooth legs on display after so many weeks of starvation awoke an ancient being inside of him. 

Sure he’d seen them every time you guys fucked— duh. But this was not the same. It was different, seeing the tender skin of your inner thigh when he knew you weren’t trying to, your skirt stuck between you and the bed as you shifted about. It was different, knowing he could so easily have you, just flip up the skirt and tug your underwear to the side, not having to worry about fighting your leggings or skinny jeans down your legs. It was different and it was good, so painstakingly good, to have you in the skirt, but the worst part was Jungkook couldn’t even do anything because you were fucking sleeping. 

He’d subconsciously pictured you like this for weeks, sprawled out on his sheets in the flimsiest clothing and ready for him to just slide right in, but Jungkook was a good boy—you’d told him as much just last week when he’d paid the bus fare for that ragtag group of teenagers, smiling up at him like he was your entire world. Was he sometimes a little too mean, a little too wild? Yes. But at his core, Jungkook lived for your praise. He couldn’t just stomp on that title you’d so lovingly bestowed upon him, a title he’d worked hard for since! 

Furthermore, even if Jungkook wasn’t a good boy, to touch you in your sleep just seemed wrong. You’d mentioned in passing once that you wouldn’t mind as long as it was him (“I’m yours,” you had purred at some party, hand crawling down his abdomen, “your doll, remember?”), but Jungkook couldn’t bring himself to when you were so vulnerable and just… not there. It wouldn’t feel right to use your body when you weren’t awake, and no amount of encouragement from you would change his mind. 

So he does what all good boys do and prepares himself for a quick, self-administered handfuck. 

Sue him, his girlfriend was hot!

It’d been a little over two weeks since the last time the two of you had fucked, and it was mostly his fault; clinicals and research papers had practically consumed what little free time he had in his schedule. And if Jungkook remembers correctly, he wouldn’t be that lucky this upcoming week either. Something tells him your period was approaching. 

Jungkook doesn’t know what type of sorcery you’ve done to him, but in the time you’ve been dating, it’s become increasingly more and more difficult to nut without you. Whether that be fucking you, listening to your voice, or just imagining your pretty face in his head, you held a monopoly over Jungkook’s libido, one that he feared you’d never let go. 

He had years stacked on years of browsing PornHub and Brazzers, can recall experiencing some of the craziest orgasms of his life while watching some girl get fucked. All things come to an end. Ever since he started dating you, not even his favorite video could make him hard anymore. Oh, how the great have fallen. 

But with your blue panties before him, his cock hardens by the minute, nearly doubles in size when you move about and sigh a heavenly sound. Frankly, he doesn’t feel bad jerking one off to the thought of you. You were his girlfriend! He knows that you know that you’re the main character of all his right-handed adventures, and you’re not going to be mad at him for jerking off to you now. In fact, Jungkook imagines you’d be mad if he’d woken you up just for some frenzied quickie. This way, he’s blowing off some steam and you’re getting an extra ten minutes of napping. Everyone wins. 

He’s barely tugged himself out of the confines of his sweats when a soft mumble of his name has his soul leaving his body. “Kook?” 

“Baby,” he exhales, immediately tucking himself back into his underwear before moving closer towards you. You roll onto your back, skirt useless as fuck, he thinks, as it sprawls around your waist. “What’s up?” he murmurs, voice gentle, a hand carding through the nape of your neck because that’s how you always wake him up. Jungkook would be a liar to say it wasn’t one of the best feelings in the world. 

You say something, but it’s a mess of gibberish and too quiet for him to understand, before turning on your side again and shuffling closer to him. Jungkook smiles, runs the tips of his fingers over your cheek, before moving to caress your back, massaging some feeling back into your muscles. Some more mumbled words, but this time he deciphers them as something along the lines of “c’mere.” 

He chuckles, ducking down to kiss your cheek. “Don’t wanna interrupt your nap, baby,” he hums. “Go back to sleep.” 

You whine in protest, suddenly catching his hand in yours. “Please,” you sigh, eyes fluttering open, but they’re unfocused as you gaze at him. Jungkook clenches his teeth. Technically he should be working on that twelve page research paper, and even just trying to jerk off right now would have been a huge setback. Crawling into bed with you, where you’re so sinfully laid out for him to take, would completely offset his plans until tomorrow. He had to be a responsible student here. 

“I really gotta finish my paper…” he says, trying to let you down as gently as possible, flashing you an apologetic gaze. He thinks he has it in the bag, and your extended silence almost has him rolling back to his desk, when you suddenly snap into action. 

“But what about your dick,” you murmur, and Jungkook chokes. 

“My what—?” he splutters, voice a little too high. 

You say nothing, craning your neck to release a series of cracks, soft huffs leaving your lips. Jungkook’s on edge the whole time, eyes following the movement of your neck, the hypnotizing expanse of skin that bares itself to him. “Saw your hand down your pants,” you say, eyes blinking open, and though they’re droopy with sleep, at least you can hold them open this time. 

Jungkook laughs nervously, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck in embarrassment. “You saw that?” A soft hum. He wants to die. “Ah, baby, don’t worry about it. Know you’re tired, so just nap,” he sighs, caressing the back of your head once again, and he thinks he’s finally convinced you so he lets his guard down. 

You moan softly, and he’s almost entirely sure it’s one of those waking up types of sounds, the ones you make when you’re stretching around the bed in the morning. “Want your cock.” 

Jungkook swears he’ll die, right here, right now. 

He groans, lowers his head to rest on the mattress. “Jesus, fuck, baby,” he huffs, has to count to ten to will the stirring of his slowly hardening cock away for the second time that day. “Don’t say stuff like that when you’re half asleep, please.”

You ignore him, the hand that had been wrapped around his wrist tugging him closer. You barely succeed, muscles still so weak, but Jungkook humors you and rolls his chair right beside your head, where he ducks down to press a kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Noooo,” you whine when he draws away too quickly. 

A laugh blossoms in his chest, and Jungkook proceeds to rain down a series of kisses on your pretty face before he can stop himself. You melt under his touch, his affection, and Jungkook adores the way your body is so soft and pliant like this, back arching towards him after he places a hand on your waist. 

“Come here,” you urge, voice a quiet plea. So soft, so needy. 

Jungkook malfunctions for just a second before he’s clambering over you on the bed, manhandling your body until you're both on your sides, facing each other, with you pressed tightly to his chest. Even with your hands brushing up and down his back in the way that sends every nerve in Jungkook’s body tingling, and your leg thrown over his hip, some stupid part of him convinces himself you’re just cold, trying to warm up after walking around campus in that tiny little skirt all day. He cuddles you as best as he can. 

And even with his dick twitching in his pants and his caveman instincts yelling at him to thrust up into your inviting core, Jungkook remains as professional as someone in a relationship can be when in bed with their lover. He’s so stuck on his self-control that he almost doesn’t hear the snort you muffle against his neck. 

“What are you doing?” you laugh, reaching up to pinch his cheek. Jungkook blinks, eyes wide like a doe caught in headlights. “Are we gonna fuck or what?”

He chokes. He doesn’t even try to muffle his reaction like other times, because the way you’re looking at him and the heel you press against the back of his thigh preoccupies his thoughts instead. Your hands are still tracing along his back, melting him with your dainty touches. “Baby?” you question after he’s been silent too long, distracted by the way you use that hooked leg to tug your bodies closer. 

“You… you’re still asleep,” Jungkook says, though it’s definitely a question. 

You scoff, a smile curling around your features. “Mm, definitely not asleep,” you tease, and shift to push him onto his back, wiggling on top of him until those baby blue panties are pressed against his quickly hardening member. “Why? Wanted to touch me when I was asleep?” you continue, and Jungkook’s eyes nearly burst out of their sockets. 

“No!” he exclaims, hands clutching your hips in alarm. He can tell he surprises you, because your eyes go wide for a brief second. “Never…” he mumbles afterwards, looking away from your imploring gaze. “Only like you when you’re awake.” 

You sigh, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek that makes his heart flood with adoration for you. “You’re a good boy, Jungkook,” you say back, just as quietly. “A blueprint for the perfect man.” Another kiss, this time against the corner of his mouth that makes Jungkook’s hands twitch against your sides. 

A soft moan tears itself from his throat, fingers digging into your hips as you slowly roll them against him. The heat emanating from your core seeps past the thin barrier of his sweatpants, makes his cock twitch in his boxers. He knows how it feels inside of you, has your body memorized like the back of his hand. But it’s in moments like these that he finds himself aching for you, desperate to feel the fluttering walls of your pussy, the pitiful whimpers that fall from your kiss swollen lips. And, well. The skirt makes it all too easy.  

He places two hands on the backs of your thighs, runs them up until he’s pushing your skirt up over your waist. You pull away from his lips with a sneaky little smile, pointer finger stroking down the side of his face lazily. “Mm?” you tease, leaving a coy little peck against his mouth. “Now you wanna touch?” Jungkook rolls his eyes, snaps his teeth at your wandering finger when you draw it too close to his mouth. The giggle you let out is so damn precious, makes him want to put you in a glass case and never let anyone else touch you. Coincidentally, it also makes him want to rail you into the mattress until you cry. 

“I’ll fucking ruin you, doll,” he settles on murmuring, subtly pushing you down against him. A soft giggle. Jungkook knows it’s your favorite nickname, even if you won’t admit it. He's the only one allowed to call you it, something about his intentions being pure or whatever, he’s not really sure. Anyway, you’re still so cute and soft on top of him, blinking slowly and prettily, so he’s dragging it out a bit, hoping you’ll become more alert in a few more minutes. 

As sleepy as you may be, you never miss out on a chance to rile him up. “As if, doll,” you retort, his nickname for you rolling off your tongue seamlessly. It sounds heavenly, sparks this weird emotion in him that he never considered before. Him, a doll? No way. But there’s something about the sweet lilt of your voice, the starry-eyed gaze you level him with, that has him throwing all reservations aside. Put him on a shelf and call him Barbie, because he would be anything you wanted him to be. 

Anyway, Jungkook’s sappy thoughts last all of two seconds before he’s rolling you over, successfully trapping you beneath his body. “Oh, so scary,” you feign, hands fluttering to clutch at your chest. 

He glides his hands down your body, let’s them trail over your hip and down the side of your thigh. “Don’t get sassy with me,” he warns, thumb peeking beneath the hem of your skirt. Jungkook really wants to burn the piece of fabric this time, because after all that time it spent torturing him with its halfhearted attempts at covering you, it chooses now to do it properly. 

Hands are thrown around his shoulders, the overwhelming scent of your perfume and body wash tickling his nose when you pull him in for another kiss. “Or what?” you purr, irises swirling with lust. “Gonna use your manly man strength to hold me down?” 

He shushes you with a kiss, slow and languid just how you like. Your taste is familiar, feels like coming home, so Jungkook can’t be blamed for getting too carried away. It starts gentle— it always does. But then a tiny mewl gets stuck in your throat, the following moan swallowed by his tongue, and Jungkook nearly loses it. He nips at your bottom lip, waits patiently for you to open up for him, and when you do he wastes no time diving in. Your tongue against his is slick and wet, makes the most lewd sound. Your little sharp intakes of air fill the gaps, shuddery breaths that Jungkook takes as a good sign. 

He strikes while the iron is still hot. 

It’s amidst your lazy kissing that he secures his hands around your waist, two reassuring squeezes thrown your way before he’s abruptly rolling onto his back again. “Kook!” you squeal, clutching at the front of his shirt. A pouty frown paints your face, sleepy eyes narrowing him with a rather unimpressed look, tainted with the barest hints of confusion. 

Jungkook grins, reaching back to yank his pillow out from beneath his head. “On my face,” he commands suddenly, and you snort. 

“What?” you ask a little incredulously, leaning back to level him with an even more lost expression. “Since when do we do that?”

Jungkook shrugs. “Since I decided twenty seconds ago,” he answers rather bluntly. You still don’t look too convinced. It’s not a position the two of you have ever tried. You’re a little on the sappy side, always like to look at his face while you fuck, hold his cheeks in your palms, kiss him sweetly. On the one hand, Jungkook totally gets it; he’ll proudly admit that the sight of your orgasming face paired with your fantastic tits have done him many favors these past few months. 

However, Jungkook is a lover of head. Giving or receiving, it’s very high on his list of sexual acts and whoever invented oral deserved all the praise in the world. Not only did you look drop dead gorgeous with his cock in your mouth— tears trailing down your cheeks, drool clinging to the corners of your lips —but you also looked absolutely sexy receiving it. 

Kinda. 

Probably. 

Okay, so maybe Jungkook can’t really say, considering he always has a hard time catching a glimpse of your face when he’s down there licking and slurping your clit like a madman. Which is what leads him to this exact moment, an experiment weeks in the making. Jungkook has a theory that needs to be tested. “Please ride the fuck out of my face,” he tries, hoping the polite tone will win you over. 

He’s met with an eye roll. Still, you’re kinder than you let on. “Okay,” you give in, and Jungkook will remember your heroism for the rest of his life. “But only because being on top is empowering.” He just barely contains an over-enthusiastic fist pump into the air, settling on a rather modest smile that has you leaning down to kiss him again. You reach for the zipper on the side of your skirt. “Just let me—“

“The skirt stays on,” he says quickly, hand on your wrist to stop you from removing his most favorite article of clothing. 

“Baby,” you say, giving him a rather serious look. “It’ll cover your face.”

“It won’t,” he urges, reaching for the buttons on your blouse instead. Jungkook has had one too many encounters with tops like these, and has long since learned not to tear them apart like a crazed psycho. As much as he loves the sound of your buttons scattering across his bedroom floor, he can’t say he’s too fond of the scolding he inevitably gets afterwards. Anyway, the shirt comes off and so does your bra, leaving your tits in his face, tiny skirt on your hips. “Get up here,” he murmurs, ushering you up his body until your knees are pressing into the mattress right above his shoulders. 

If it was up to Jungkook, he would have just grabbed your hips and shoved his face against your pussy. Luckily, it’s not, and your common sense shines through just in time. “One sec,” you say, and then finally, finally, the blue panties come off. 

And then it’s just Jungkook and your glistening pussy. 

“Holy fuck,” he groans, taking the opportunity to wrap his arms around your thighs. You squeak when he pulls you closer, hand instinctively reaching for the front of your skirt to hold away from his face. The view from here is heavenly, just your swollen clit, gorgeous tits, and shy face. 

The muscles in your thighs are a little stiff. Or maybe you’re just nervous. Jungkook isn’t sure, all he knows is that it takes one encouraging tug for you to finally sit on his face. He doesn’t even register the surprised gasp that leaves your throat because he’s too busy tasting your pussy from an all new position. And it’s absolutely amazing. 

Something about the position, having you carefully poised above him, does something to Jungkook. He likes to think he knows your body inside and out, knows what makes you melt and what makes you scream. He knows just how to lap at your cunt until you’re cumming, and how many fingers it takes for you to really feel it. But it’s like having you in this position changes all of that, rearranges all the tidbits of information Jungkook has spent months collecting. 

(Jungkook is a meticulous man; he’s got a near perfect GPA right now that was the direct result of his carefully crafted note-taking techniques. Whether or not he abused the power of his perfectionist learning abilities to master the mechanisms of his girlfriend’s libido was no one's business but his own.) 

One kitten lick against your swollen pearl makes you buck forward, clit brushing against his nose. Jungkook can’t remember you ever doing that on the first lick. “O- oh my—,” you cry, all airy and whiny. Your hand is pressed to the wall behind his bed, the other bunching the front of your skirt just above your mound. He’s rather happy to learn that, just as he’d hypothesized, this position does give him a better view of you. 

He’s graced with the sight of your face, twisted up in pleasure. It’s the stereotypical eyes squeezed shut, lip caught between your teeth look. But there’s something different about it knowing that he’s gotten this reaction out of you with his mouth alone. 

Jungkook quickly repositions you over him, tugging you back until his tongue is lined up with the front of your slit. You’re so warm down here, make him feel like he’s drowning with your heady scent alone. Tentatively, he lets his tongue dip between your folds, the very tip nudging your swollen clit. A moan tears itself from your throat, the hand that had been flush against the wall suddenly jumping forward to bury itself in his hair. “Oh- oh, fuck,” you shiver, hips jolting forward once more. 

You taste good on his tongue, the arousal that coats your lips is sticky and sweet. When he laps his tongue along your folds, quivering hole to stiffened bud, you let out a sob that resonates deeply within Jungkook. And also Jungkook’s cock, which stirs beneath his trousers in excitement. What was once the focus of his mission, a quick handfuck to sedate himself before finishing his research paper, has long since been forgotten. It’s for the greater good, he tells himself, blinking up at you from between your thighs. 

Eye contact lasts for exactly three seconds before you’re looking away bashfully, the fist clutching at your skirt trembling against your tummy. You’re so fucking pretty, Jungkook’s heart can’t take it. 

And so he sets out on a mission to make you cum as soon as possible, abandoning his slow kitten licks in favor of suctioning his lips around your clit. “Kook,” you wail, tugging at his hair. Whether you do it purposely or not, Jungkook is a little shocked by how good the pain feels. It’s not an emotion he can ponder long, because then you’re using that same grip in his hair to tilt his head backwards, jerkily moving over him. 

It’s rough and sudden, the buck against his face, but Jungkook loves it. The drag of your pussy against his lips, the wet glide of your juices smearing across his chin and Cupid’s bow. It all feels so good, and the fact Jungkook is getting a front row seat to the absolutely torn look on your face is just the cherry on top. 

Jungkook has seen you make a lot of faces. He’s seen you shiver and drool as he nails you into your bed. He’s seen you sniffle and sob as he slowly fucks you in a rose petal filled bubble bath (a six month anniversary special planned by yours truly). He’s even seen your mirrored reflection fall apart as you bounced away on his lap in front of a mirror. 

He’s never seen you like this before. 

Needy and desperate, moaning his name softly, practically humping his face in your greed. Tiny skirt clutched against your waist, tits bouncing as you hurriedly grind against him. He has half the mind to burn this scene into his eyelids for the rest of his life. 

He’s given up on doing anything with his tongue, simply sticking it out for you to do as you wish. Normally, he’s not a huge fan of letting you do things yourself. After all, Jungkook was your boyfriend. Making you cum was his job. But you’re moving so fast, so frantic, in your mission to cum. So Jungkook sits back and lets you go to town on his mouth as a series of moans spill from your lips. 

And then something unforgivable happens. 

Jungkook will admit it: he’s staring at you almost a little too dreamily, heart eyes and all. He thinks you’re fucking hot, taste like heaven and have these absolutely delicious boobs bouncing up and down. He’s a little distracted by your glorious figure that he doesn’t notice one crucial bit of information. 

Your hand. 

The desperate need to cum has your muscles weakening, thighs moving at a latent pace, and, much to Jungkook’s horror, hands trembling. It’s your own pleasure that lets the unimaginable happen: your skirt flutters down. Your grip on it loosens and before Jungkook knows it, the sight of your pretty face and nice tits are gone, snatched away before his very eyes. Even your wet cunt is impossible to see, his world suddenly shrouded in darkness. 

Leave it to Jungkook to foil his own horny plan with, well, his horniness. If only he wasn’t so hopelessly in love with the image of you in skirts. Maybe then he could bask in the beauty that was you riding his face. 

He acts fast, reaching for the material before he can miss out on anything. But the angle is weird, and without Jungkook’s hands holding your hips, you’re left weakly rolling forward instead. And he’s not the only one frustrated with this turn of events, your face quickly returning to its normal composed form as you level him with a frown. “Everything okay?” you pant. 

Everything was not okay, but Jungkook isn’t sure how to tell you that without ruining this delicate moment. So he tries to show you with actions instead, releasing the skirt he’s got in his fist and letting it flutter over his face again. You giggle. “I told you so.” 

It takes more willpower than he’d like to admit to pull away from your wet folds, pulling off with a lewd sound that has you biting your lip as you gaze down at him. “I told you so,” he mimics, a little mean but you don’t take it to heart. “Hold your skirt up.” 

You hum, the grip on his hair loosening as you push away his dark locks instead. “Mmmm,” you hum. “No.”

“No?” he repeats, actually really scandalized. Okay, so he’s a little spoiled when it comes to you— it’s not his fault! You made him like this, conditioned him to think that you would always give into his every whim because you were just so sweet and considerate and wanted him to be happy. And Jungkook also wants you to be happy, and in his opinion, being happy right now means having him fuck your pretty brains out for ever getting sassy with him. 

“I don’t listen to men,” you tease, followed by a cute little nod, skin still a little warm from your looming orgasm. Jungkook takes advantage of your tiny moment of weakness, and strikes like a viper.

A girlish squeal leaves your lips, hands stretching outwards as he knocks you backwards onto the mattress. “Jungkook,” you gasp, sprawled out artfully, beautifully, over his sheets now. He doesn’t waste a second longer, crawling over your body until you’re a shivering mess beneath him. 

Hand against your throat, the other blindly reaching for the front of his sweatpants. “What is it, doll?” he drawls meanly, reveling in the way your eyes roll back when his newly-freed cock lands against your slit. A choked gasp leaves your throat, lashes fluttering wildly until Jungkook loosens his grip. 

You’ve done a nice job riling yourself up, lips squelching wet and loose when he runs the tip of his cock along them. Your knees are pulled up for him, spread perfectly for him to fit between. You’re so good for him, Jungkook feels a little bad for how hard he’s going to fuck you now. 

The sympathy doesn’t last long.  

Once upon a time, you had been the epitome of a cute and sweet girlfriend. Had picked him up from class, encouraged him to do his homework, wore these cute little skirts around campus. Deep down inside, Jungkook knew everyone else was jealous of him— you were just so pretty and cute, a girl straight out of everyone’s dreams. 

Until he sunk his horny claws into you. Jungkook will be the first to admit he spends a little too much time browsing porn sites— he’s a man, cut him some slack —which had never caused him any problems before. Even when the two of you were just friends (pining ones at that), you had never seemed even remotely affected by his extensive pornographical knowledge. It was a known fact among your friend group that Jungkook’s best friend was his right hand. 

But then, of course, you started dating Jungkook and it was like a save file of all his horniest fantasies was downloaded directly into your brain. Which leads him to this. 

“Spit in my mouth,” you shiver, got these huge, watery eyes pointed his way. His cock twitches. 

There’s a little groan that tears itself from his throat when he leans forward, cock sliding along your folds, to grasp your chin between his fingers. “Open,” he commands, and you do. Your lower lip quivers, tongue pressed against it as you wait for Jungkook to spit down your mouth. He can’t say he regrets letting you peek through his porn stash, not when it leads to this, you whimpering at the hot glob of saliva he shoots down your throat. “Filthy,” he pants, memorizing the movement of your throat when you swallow like the good girl you are. 

Before he can write another twelve sonnets about that dazed look on your face, he’s roughly grabbing at your thigh. You whine, limbs so pliant beneath his touch, letting him hike your knee over his forearm as he tugs you closer. “Fuck,” he groans, reaching down to align himself with your quivering hole. You’re still so wet, make the most lewd sound when he sinks into you. Not that Jungkook really hears it, the sound of your strained moans practically drowning everything else out. 

“Fuck,” you cry, one hand clutching at his forearm, the other toying with your breast. It’s a magnificent sight, and Jungkook is suddenly feeling a little cocky when he realizes he’s the only one who gets to see this. It’s this presumptuous nature that fuels the first round of thrusts into your cunt, fast and full. He makes sure you feel every inch of him, tip to base, as he pistons his hips forward. “J— Jungkook,” you pant, back arching beneath him. 

You take it so well, walls sucking him in every time he draws back out. “I’ve got you, doll,” he moans, hiking your leg further over his shoulder. Every roll of his hips has your tits bouncing back and forth, lower lip as well with the dopey, open-mouthed look you got on for him. And the damned skirt that got him here, fucking you with a punishing pace, sits perfectly around your waist. He has half the mind to take it off for you, briefly wonders if it hurts, but just looking at it reminds him of about thirty-seven pornos he’s seen. So it stays on, works alongside your lovestruck face to actively rewrite all those pornos anew with you starring in them instead. 

It sure helps when you start your usual mindless babbling. “I love you,” you gasp, face screwed up in pleasure. “I- I love you so much.” 

He’s contemplating doing a study on you and your weird mid-fuck confessions. You do this a lot, and while Jungkook doesn’t mind, it sure does leave him curious. “Love you too, baby,” he says anyway, repositioning his arms so he can hold your waist with both hands. 

“Really?” you ask, voice so whiny, eyes brimming with tears. From emotion or your need to cum, Jungkooks not sure. (Hence the need for a study!) 

Another brutal thrust that has you moaning loudly. “Really,” he reassures you, glancing down to watch his cock sink into your hole as he picks up the pace. Your arms are practically limbless, and his stomach is beginning to feel tight. The end was soon. “Love your pretty little face.”

Another whine, your fingers pulling at your pebbled nipples. “M- My pretty face?” you whimper, blink these long lashes up at him. They make Jungkook go a little mad, bring on a wave of jackhammer thrusts that cut your moans into choppy little cries instead. 

“Prettiest girl I know,” he groans, not once stopping the movement of his hips. You’re quivering like a leaf beneath him, your entire body locking up as Jungkook guides you toward orgasm. “A fucking doll, baby— so beautiful for me,” he praises. 

It’s exactly what you want to hear— secretly, Jungkook hypothesizes that you’re a little bit of an attention whore —crying out when he slows to a grind against you. Each roll of his hips has him rubbing over your swollen bud, leaves you trembling until you’re eventually unraveling beneath him. “Oh- Oh, fuck— Jungkook—“ you sob, writhing beneath him as you cream his cock. 

Your tits look amazing, nipples stiff from your arousal and all the attention you’d been giving them. Your features soften, gasps framed by your pillowy lips. As Jungkook has said before, your pretty face was the most dangerous weapon. 

He manages a few more pistons of his hips, mostly for reputation sake, before he’s eventually pulling out. His right hand, once the sole hero of his solo sessions, makes a valiant return now as he jacks himself off over you. It takes a few harsh pulls of his cock until he’s spurting his jizz over you, painting your tummy and your tits in white ribbons of cum. You flinch, a tiny whimper leaving your throat at the mess he makes. “Fuck,” he groans one last time. 

When it’s over, you have the audacity to shyly pull down the front of your skirt. As if your tits aren’t out and about, but Jungkook pretends he doesn’t see it. Instead, he channels his energy into peppering your face in kisses. “Best girl,” he praises, even though he knows you hate the nickname. “My beautiful feminist queen.” 

A pinch against his cheek. It hurts like hell, but he endures it for now, still very much in love with your performance today. “Get me a towel,” you huffily ask, uncomfortable with the jizz sticking to your tummy, as if he didn’t spit in your mouth a few minutes ago. 

His research paper is waiting for him at his desk, the materials he’d spent weeks collecting waiting to be typed up. But his girlfriend is so soft and sleepy, asking him to stay for another nap. 

There was never a choice.

Copyright © 2020, 1kook on tumblr. absolutely NO reposts allowed.

#networkbangtan #bangtanhq #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook smut #jjk♡ #jjk smut #jungkook fic #jeon jungkook fic #jeon jungkook x reader #jungkook x reader #bts smut #bts fic #bts jungkook #mine #skirtfic

[husbandohunter]

May I request a Childe X Reader fanfic where the reader has been pushing herself too hard lately and so Childe has to forcefully get her to rest? ty

By my side [Childe x Reader]//Genshin Impact

Synopsis: You were an artist and he was an adventurer. Two people from vast backgrounds and Childe just wants to spend some time of his busy life with you. However, things didn't really go his way...at first.

(Childe x F!reader. Its all fluff)

(A/n): Perfect request anon. I too, would like to have a Childe in my life. Been getting 5-6 hours of sleep on average 😃😁. Yeah kind tossed some extra ideas with artist s/o, its a perfect reason for anyone to be busy.

============================

Once recieving the permission to take a week off from his diplomatic duties, the first thing Childe thought of was none other than his lovely significant other.

The harbinger knew quite well what lays ahead of his ventures to Liyue. During his quest for the archon's gnosis, he encountered many interesting events, such as meeting the rumoured traveller hailing from afar and a broke yet courteous man who turned out to be the ultimate ruler of this very country he walks upon then there was the battle against a dead god until he revived it using the sigil of permission. All of them were great additions to his story as Ajax the hero, something he always wanted to pursue since childhood. In which, also gave him something nice to write about when preparing letters for his siblings living back home. But little did the harbinger know that he'll one day bump into the heroine. A little too soon. Through your little art shop, he met you, a sweet and audacious woman with plenty of humour. That was how it all began.

While he strides down the streets between Liyue's exquisite buildings, Childe suddenly stops in his tracks and looks up to the sky. There, was painted a scenery of an evening dusk, sun rays relfected across until red and orange hues cast a river stream that led to the ends of the world. He watched the birds follow that streak like it was a path made for them to fly towards. A new adventure. You would have loved to captured this in your pictures.

And then he wonders, what might you be painting right now?

"Hey babe, I'm home~"

In a sing-song voice he calls out to you by your nick-name. You knew that Childe was an active member of the Fatui and that his time was limited, hence he made sure to write to you as well. Of course long distant relationships only makes the waiting more anticipated. When he does pay a visit, you'd run straight into his open arms, leaping off your feet to engulf him in one enourmous embrace. Then his hands will hold against your waist as he spins your round and around in the air, stealing the laughter out of your lungs before planting you back on the floor. Sometimes Childe would consider that being far away wasn't be such a bad idea as long as he was able to experience this, the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. However...

"That's great."

He was met by a response similar to the wintry grace of Snezhnaya.

Huh?

All the fantasies he had from earlier shatters in the background as he stands there frozen. You didn't even spare a glance to the entrance, eyes still glued to the large canvas displayed at your front, too busy to even care. Childe clicks his tongue between the awkward silence with an uncertain expression. When there was no signs of initiation on your part, he shuffled his way to where you were and observes from behind.

"Well you're particularly quiet today," he muses to himself, placing a hand over his hip, "I guess that painting of yours must be really important then."

It was obvious that he was trying to nudge you into his favour. Something that you've found endearing was how quickly your boyfriend can be when he's in a needy state. So you quickly twisted over to peck him on the cheek before going back to work.

"That's better," Childe satisfiedly grins, "So who is this project for?"

"It's a commission requested by a wealthy family serving the Qixing. They're really influential in terms of the market and can really give me a competitive edge. I have to get it done in five days."

His tone flactuates as he squints his eyes, "Five days you say," he disliked the news of your schedule taking over his own, Childe only managed to take a week off and after that, he'll be away for quite some time, "Why don't you take a break? From the looks of your progress, it seems to me that you've been working on it for hours. I've got plenty of interesting stories to tell and you know, nothing can compare to sharing a warm meal within your company," he leans down to your ear level, "How does that sound?"

Several seconds went by as he waits for some sort of reaction, "Oh. Right," you blurted out and the harbinger only smiles, "I made some food earlier this morning. You can go help yourself if you're hungry."

Today was not his day.

Childe pulls out the wooden chair and slumps into the seat, a defeated huff escaping his mouth as he stared at the crystal shrimp placed on the table. It was hastily wrapped by plastic, most likely cold for a while, just like the romantic evening he had planned in his head. Normally you'll be sitting on the otherside while listening to the many tales he went through along the way. Although painting was your passion, it was undeniable that you also enjoyed his kind of lifestyle if you ever had the choice. He was rather surprised on how someone ambitious like him would end up with such a simplistic person but quickly accepted it as life was meant to be unpredictable, just the way he likes it. As Childe entertains you with his stories, he'll listen to your giggles amidst eating the homecooked meals that you both prepared together.

"I wonder if she ate already," he mumbled to his lone self. You most likely did but Childe knows you well. Artists are obsessed and they can go as far as to neglecting their own health for the sake of their masterpieces. Hence, he made sure to remind you to eat properly through the letters he wrote to you.

The harbinger takes a quick glance around the kitchen. It was a mess. The cupboards were slightly opened, metal pots were still displayed on the stone stove and the stench coming from the sink....

Childe pushes himsel up to see what was the cause.

Not even the dishes were washed.

Running his fingers through his bangs, he sighs wearily, "Old habits die hard huh?" And above all else, when artists are obsessed they also forget how disorganized they can become. Childe begins to roll up his sleeves before taking off his gloves. At times like this he'll have to pitch in and take care of it for you, "Looks like I'll be here for a while."

Throughout three sunsets and three moonrises, Childe had no option but to observe you from afar, minus the few attempts he made to regain your attention again. How you would go to bed much later than him, waking up before he opens his eyes and the effort he put into making your food only left with too many leftovers. It wasn't that you were unappreciative, instead, your mind had become too focused that your body was considered a second priority. Like anyone else, Childe genuinely thought you possessed great talent and supports you wholeheartedly. He loved it when you painted pictures just for him as if they were scenes coming out of his hero story, reminded by his adventures, capturing every detail. However he also needed to learn how to deal with this stubborn side of yours.

"Hey babe, I just finished preparing our dinner. Don't you smell that? Such a rich aroma, you should go eat."

"I'm busy."

Your diet were just small bites, the rest being substituted by coffee. Childe could clearly tell that you weren't getting enough sleep either as there were dark circles forming underneath your eyes and slowly, he was starting to become a little irritated.

Three hours passed midnight but you were still awake in the same place doing the same thing. Childe leans against the doorframe with arms folded, already changed into his sleeping clothes. He clears his throat to break the silence, "Ahem."

Your wrist hangs in mid air by the sound of a strange visitor, it was your boyfriend. Gaze in a daze, you lazily turned your head, "What time is it?"

"Way passed the sleeping hours as you can see," he points with his thumb at the table clock in a half-hearted manner, "You should already be in bed by now and don't think you can coax yourself out of the situation this time," his eyes parted in slits as he added with a smile, "Otherwise I might just have to force you myself."

You shook your head, "Give me one more hour? There's some finishing touches I really want to add so," clasping your hands together, you beamed sweetly, "Pretty please? I'll finish up soon."

"Oh really?" Childe challenges, head tossed back like he was interrogating you instead, "I believe that was also what you told me yesterday. And the day before? Adding up all of those days that would be.....four in total?" He deliberately counts upon his fingers before facing you again, this time his expression was slightly more serious, "As much as I find your determination remarkable, there are moments when you need to consider a sufficient amount of rest and this just isn't going to cut it."

"Four days already?!" You exclaimed, "Jeez, I don't even know if I'm halfway done."

Pressing his lips together, Childe glares in an acutely deadpanned countenance, it was also his time too, "Can't you ask this commissioner to extend your due date to next week? In your case, mora shouldn't be the issue since, well...you're dating me anyways."

It's true. Childe was the main reason why you didn't have to live as a starving artist. He had all your expenses fully covered from the marketing aspect to your residence, you simply chose to work out of pure will.

"I don't want to always rely on you so much," you confessed, "This commissioner could turn my whole career around. If I'm able to gain his favour, maybe I'll get promoted to a court painter for the Qixing! Who knows when there will ever be a chance like this again," pumping your fists, you spoke purposefully, "I'll pull an all nighters if I have to!"

Childe brings his hand to his forehead, you looked as if you were nearly about to collapse and yet still considering the option of an all-nighters? The harbinger should've detained you days prior before.

"Hm? Childe, what's wrong?" He suddenly falls deadly quiet and you watched him walk closer towards you, "What are--"

Hooking an arm behind your knees and the other at your back, your boyfriend lifts you up in one full swoop as he tossed you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Guess we'll have to do things the hard way," he remarks cheerfully.

"W-Wait," you flailed your arms and kicked your legs but to no avail. Childe was an experienced combatant indeed, "Put me down! I have work to do."

Your protests fall upon deaf ears as the harbinger carries you to your room. You were oddly lighter than the last time he carried you, the strength less vigor than before, it was obvious that your body was in need of relaxation. He suddenly thinks there was a possibility that you would maintain this habit while he was absent.

I should probably visit more often.

Using his free leg to nudge the door open, he places you upon the shared bed in a gentle manner. You winced at the impact of the soft sheets, surprised by how much it affect you.

"There we go. All done. Man, you really are a stubborn one, aren't you. Makes me a little worried since I can't spoil you all the time."

He quickly invited himself to the empty space on your bedside and wrapped his arms around your figure, pulling you close and feeling you whole. Childe made sure there was no escape once putting his chin above your hairline so that you could feel his warmth as much as possible.

"This is--" you stuttered. His tactic was enough to make your limbs soften and you could almost hear him smirk into the distance, "This is cheating..."

"You think so?" He comments as if pledging innocence, "I don't know babe. Where I come from those who take the initiative are the ones who end up claiming the prize," pulling back, Childe takes the opportunity to observe your pouty face, "I don't make the rules. It's just how it goes."

You wanted to argue back but he suddenly took the bedsheets and covered both of your bodies with, completely trapping you with his presence. He snuggles into you further as if you were a bear made of linen and you felt the drowsiness taking over your mind. The way he gently pats down the back of your head was enough to instantly lull you into a deep sleep.

"Cheater," you mumbled.

He laughs softly, the rumbles emitting through his chest, "I love you too babe."

Even after you've let go of your resistance, Childe continues his actions until he was sure that you were resting. He had been longing to touch you like this since living a chaotic life only made peaceful moments much sweeter, "You're such a hard-worker you know that? I'm proud of you but you have to know when to call it a day," he whispers, "If not, how can I go on trips while knowing that you're still refusing to eat properly?"

You closed your eyes and said nothing in return. All your senses were too cloudy to come up with a reassuring response. Childe listens to the way your breath evens as you intake his scent during the process. It smelled like the soap you used in the showers, lotus leaves mixed with his own unique musk. You could only focus on him. His comforting embrace. His slightly accelerating heartbeat because you were together with him.

Letting out one final yawn, you succumbed to his spell and allowed your energy to drift away.

The corners of his lips tug upwards, "Sleep well princess."

Childe reaches over to your desk drawer and shuts off the alarm clock before turning over to face you again. He couldn't fall asleep immediately, not when he had to consider taking care of the commissioner who gave you an impossible deadline. But that will be saved for another day, for now, he observes in silent serenity.

If he were to quit his job for a year, what would his life be like?

Peaceful. Something opposite of what he was living right now. Something similar to the life he had back home. As you arrange the many paintings in your little home, he'll offer to help you among the places you couldn't reach. Without a doubt, Childe was far taller in comparison. Taking strolls into the streets and trying the new dishes the merchants came up with. Then in the evenings, you'll both go to dinner dates while listening to the storyteller revealing the rumours of the legendary Tianquan Qixing. Although Childe loved the adventurous life he led, he had to admit that your domesticity and family-bringing atmosphere was a tempting idea.

Maybe one day.

He lightly takes a strand that had fallen over your nose and tucked it smoothly behind your ear. The soft snores coming out of your parted lips caused his gaze to melt. And so he steals them with his own, placing a chaste goodnight kiss.

One day I'll be sure to bring my family here with us.

Closing his eyes, he joins you in your slumber, hoping to see all that he envisioned in his dreams.

#genshin impact #childe x reader #childe genshin impact #genshin childe #childe #tartaglia x reader #tartaglia #genshin impact childe #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact scenarios #genshin #genshin x reader #genshin impact headcanons #genshin scenarios #genshin headcanons

[fanficimagery]

The Witch’s Companion

Imagine settling down in La Push and instantly hitting it off with a group of locals. You have an instant connection with Sam Uley and though you know exactly what the connection is, you find that you would rather have Sam tell you what it is. Only he has trouble finding a way and you find it rather amusing since you already know all about the supernatural realm. After all, you are a part of it.

Words: 6.3K Author’s Note: This is so bad, but I didn’t wanna trash it. I needed something to post. My apologies.

Since coming into your magic, you've always felt like something was missing. No matter how much you studied or how much progress you made in mastering your abilities, you always felt incomplete. You stayed home long enough to complete your high school education and then worked a few years to earn some cash before deciding to take a chance out in the real world on your own.

Fortunately for you, however, your family knew you'd be leaving the coven and they were more than prepared to send you on your way with funds they had saved up over the years themselves. It was a tearful goodbye, but as soon as you were on the road you felt it in every fiber of your being that you were making the right choice.

You drove for hours on end, not content enough to stop until the moon was high in the sky, and then found the least skeezy motel you could find to stay the night in. Then after paying for the night and putting a sigil of protection on your truck so no one could peek through the windows or break a window without setting off a blaring alarm, you showered and prepared for bed. But as you laid in bed, you tossed and turned as your brain wouldn't shut off. So instead of counting sheep, you got back up and dug out some of your supplies from the bag you kept close to you at all times.

As you sat on the floor with your legs crossed beneath you and a map spread out in front of you, you lit four white candles and placed one on each corner of the map. You took a white crystal on a chain and let it pool in your hand before closing your eyes, then holding the crystal against your chest. With nothing but good intentions and the hope of finding that missing part of you, you rubbed the crystal over your heart before grabbing the chain and letting the crystal hang over the map. And then with your eyes still closed, you twirled the crystal over the map before holding your hand still and letting spirits guide the crystal so you have an inkling of where to drive next.

Minutes passed and when you felt the chain still in your hand, you opened your eyes and found the tip of the crystal pointing towards the North-West portion of the map. So with somewhat of a destination in mind, you packed your belongings and was finally able to fall asleep.

Over the next few days you drove and drove, stopping for bathroom breaks, food and rest when necessary. When you hit the west coast and then started driving north, you were skeptical about where the crystal had really been pointing. But then you get to Forks, Washington and something just feels different. It doesn't feel right, but it's damn near close and you decide to drive around some more.

It isn't until you drive onto the reservation in La Push that it feels like you can properly breathe for the first time ever and you nearly cry tears of relief. But before you can start making plans of settling down, you know there are some things that must be addressed. Because growing up in a coven and learning of every supernatural creature you could, you know La Push is home to the legends of spirit warriors. And behind every legend is truth. So in order to be on good terms with the locals and the elders of the tribe, you know you must ask permission to stay on their lands.

The elders, surprisingly, needed no convincing. They were wary of a witch's presence at first, but after explaining everything to them they seemed to perk up with interest. More than a couple of the elders had twinkling eyes when you spoke of feeling as if a part of you was missing and that you only felt at complete ease once you crossed their borders. They even gave you a few suggestions on available houses in the area and you took your leave after asking them to keep your heritage a secret. You wanted to meet people on your own time and not have anyone seek you out because of what you could do. They completely understood and wished you well.

So a couple weeks later, here you are staring up at your very own two bedroom house. You had some cash put away for this exact occasion, but really it was the elders of La Push who were such a tremendous help in helping you purchase the place. The house itself was practically surrounded by trees and far enough away from any neighbors which granted you all the privacy you needed. So in other words, it was perfect.

You still need furniture and appliances to fill the house, so you've given yourself a time limit of about a week to get everything you need because that's as long as you're willing to stay in a small motel down in Forks. You've already ordered a basic refrigerator and stove, and they're to be delivered in a couple days time. You're still on the lookout for beds and couches, but nothing's caught your eye, so for now you've come to the house prepared with cleaning supplies.

The inside of the house is in pretty great condition, the only thing you really have to do is give it a good dusting, wipe down, and mopping. So after opening up all the windows, you walked around the house with a duster on an extendable arm made sure to dust every corner, nook and cranny of the room. You Windex every glass surface you can before sweeping the floors and then fill up a mop bucket to get started on the floors.

Afterwards, as the floors finish drying, you sit on the porch with a sandwich and Gatorade you had packed into a small ice chest. When you're a little more halfway through, two trucks rumble down the path to your house and you set aside your food in order to stand up and greet them.

Tribal Elder Harry Clearwater is easily recognizable, as is his beautiful wife Sue who is sitting in the passenger seat across from him. The two boys in the truck behind them, however, are new.

Stepping off the porch and meeting your guests halfway, you greet them all with a smile. Sue is the only one to receive a hug whereas Harry offers a handshake. "Hello, Harry. What brings you down here?"

The older man chuckles. "Just wanted to see how you were settling in and introduce you to a few of the young ones."

You finally meet the gazes of the boys behind Harry, taking note of the tribal tattoos on their upper biceps that they're showing off thanks to their sleeveless shirts. Both are wearing cargo shirts and have bare feet which you hardly bat an eye at. "Hello." You wave at them, smiling softly.

"Hey," the slightly shorter of the two smirks, leaning forward and offering his hand, "I'm Paul."

As you grasp his hand, his warmth sends shivers down your spine. "Y/N. It's nice to meet you."

Paul shakes your hand a little longer than normal and you find yourself fighting back a laugh. "Paul, would you let her go? She's clearly not interested." His friend clamps a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back briefly before thrusting his own hand forward. "I'm Jared."

"Hi."

After greeting the two boys, you give a very amused Harry and Sue your attention once more. "So thanks for checking in. I'm just cleaning out the house right now. Getting it ready for deliveries."

"Oh?" Sue perks up. "What did you find?"

"Just a refrigerator and stove for now," you say with a small shrug and sheepish laugh. "I rather have the cabinets and refrigerator stocked with food rather than worry about comfortable bedding. If push comes to shove, I'll happily camp out on an air mattress while I find a decent bed."

Harry chuckles. "I figured you'd be having trouble finding some decent furniture, so I went ahead and went through our storage. Come on," he gestures for you to follow. "Come take a look."

"What?" You stare, wide-eyed, and Sue chuckles before nudging you to follow. You do, with the boys chuckling at your surprise, and you find a wooden bed frame laying in the bed of Harry's truck.

"It's a bit old," Harry then admits, "but it's still very sturdy. It was wasting away in our storage, so I figured it could go to a good home."

"Are- are you sure?"

"Of course," Sue assures you. "We also have a couch and a recliner if you're interested. They're still in really good condition."

"Well yeah! If you say it's in good condition and are willing to get rid of them, I'll happily take them off your hands."

"Excellent. Boys!" Harry catches Jared and Paul's attention. "Go back to my house and have Leah show you to the storage. She'll know what couch and recliner we want to get rid of."

"You got it, Harry."

Jared nods at Harry to let him know he's on it and Paul spares you one last lingering leer which prompts you to laugh and shake your head at him. Then turning to Sue, you ask, "So what do I owe you?"

But Sue is quick to wave you off. "Don't worry about it. Consider this as our house warming present. And," she's quick to cut you off when you open your mouth to retort, "if you feel like you owe us something, then all I ask is that you stop by the health clinic once you're truly settled in. You have a very healing nature about you and I'm sure you'd be a great help to our little community."

Catching her drift, you can't help but chuckle. "Sure thing, Sue."

With nothing else to be said, Harry and Sue help you unload the bed frame and carry it into your house and into the appropriate room. Fortunately Harry has a bag of tools in his truck and instructs you what screws go where since you were more capable of getting down on the floor than he was. Paul and Jared get back right before you finish putting together the frame, so Sue walks out to go instruct them to bring the furniture in.

Afterwards, as you and Harry join everyone in the living room, you smile kindly around at the occupants. "Boys, thanks for bringing the heavy stuff in."

"Don't even worry about it," Jared says. "If Sue and Harry are already this attached, I have a feeling you're good people."

Before Paul can comment, there's a bone chilling howl ripping through the air. It's not too close to the house, but it doesn't stop the boys from awkwardly chuckling afterwards and assuring you the wolves around the reservation are completely harmless. You keep a faint smile in place, nodding along, and force down your amusement at their hasty retreat.

Turning to Sue and Harry, you laugh. "They don't have a subtle bone in their body."

"No they do not," she muses.

A comfortable silence follows the three of you out onto the porch, watching as Paul and Jared drive away in a hurry. Seconds pass before Harry makes it clear they should get going too.

As you follow them to their truck, you say, "Thanks again for the furniture. If I head out now I can probably find a box spring and mattress, and actually sleep in my own house tonight."

Sue smiles. "I'm glad we could be of some help. If you need anything," she then reaches into her pocket, pulling out a small white card, "here's my number. Don't hesitate to call."

You take the card and glance at the number before pocketing it. "I won't. Thank you."

The married couple climb into the truck and as soon as they're settled and the engine rumbles to life, Harry leans out his window. "Don't take too long to let the boys in on your secret. I have a feeling you'll be seeing them more often than not now that two of them know where you live."

"How many are there?"

"Three as of right now," Harry says, "but we're keeping an eye on a few others."

"This pack keeps growing and the vampires will be too scared to step anywhere near La Push."

Harry chuckles. "That's fine by me."

With nothing else to be said and the Clearwater's wanting you to get everything you need before the stores shut down, they bid you farewell and take their leave. Then after making sure you shut all the windows to your house and lock up, you hop in your truck and drive to the city in hopes of getting a box spring and mattress to fit your new bed.

Over the next few days, you get settled in and you've never felt more at peace. Even your magic seems to meshing better than ever within you and your coven back home couldn't have been more happier for you.

You've kept your promise to Sue, mixing concoctions that were easily added into lotions for aching joints and grinding powered mixtures that could be added to water that acted as a mild pain reliever. The reservation's clinic was mostly used by the elderly and you were glad you could offer them relief for their aching bones.

You've also run into Paul and Jared a handful of times, mostly at the grocery store and once when you had gone to the beach for the day. They had been leaving when you were just getting there and Paul had introduced you to his new girlfriend, but the way he couldn't take his eyes off her let you know it was something so much more. Jared kept trying to introduce you to his other friend, but apparently you and this so-called Sam just kept missing each other.

And it isn't until one drizzly day that you finally meet him.

You sleep in a little later than usual, the overcast sky and drizzling rain keeping you in a sleepy state. Then when you feel like you've laid in long enough, you get up and take the warmest shower you can before dressing cozy and curling up on your couch. Nothing on TV seems to catch your attention, so you turn it off and head into your kitchen. You're not particularly hungry, but you find yourself wanting to make something. So opening up your pantry, you find that you have all the ingredients you need to bake to your heart's content.

With your hair twisted up into a bun and the sleeves of your sweater pushed up to your elbows, you're mixing together the second batch of muffins as the first batch cools next to a peach cobbler. You've been in the baking zone, listening to the distant rumbling thunder, that when there's knocking on your front door it startles you into letting loose a yelp.

There's a bark of laughter before you hear the door creaking open and Paul and Jared walk in, both shirtless and in cut-off jean shorts. A third walks in behind them, this one unfamiliar, but you keep your attention on the two you do know.

Huffing, you set aside the bowl and pick up a washcloth to clean off your hands as you walk around the kitchen counter. "If you catch a cold, I am not helping you. Only idiots would run around barefoot in this type of weather we're having right now."

"Oooh, those muffins free game?" Jared asks, completely ignoring your words and walking around you. "I'm starving."

"Do I smell peach cobbler?" Paul then wonders, doing the same as his friend.

"Hey!" The third individual barks, Paul and Jared freezing at his tone. "Manners."

You smirk as the boys shift nervously and then look towards the still unknown man. "Thank you. You, my well mannered friend, are more than welcome to the snacks. I'm Y/N, by the way."

As he meets your gaze, his small smile falters. His eyes seem to subtly widen, his expression goes lax, and there's an instant connection with this man- a sense of warmth and comfort rushing through you. He feels like.. like home.

You blink and then.. oh. You know exactly what this is and while a little part of you is nervous because you hadn't planned to tell anyone other than the tribal elders what you were, you're also kind of excited.

"Sam?" Paul wonders, he and Jared snickering.

The second you break eye contact with him, he seems to come back to himself. Clearing his throat, he nods at you. "Sam. I'm Sam Uley." He then glares at the boys before sheepishly glancing at you once more.

You flash him a small smile. "Nice to finally meet you Sam Uley. Jared doesn't shut up about you."

"Hey!" The muffled response causes you to look at the boy in question and you roll your eyes fondly when you see his cheeks puffed out with the remains of a muffin he'd eaten when you weren't paying attention.

"So what brings you boys over here?" You ask as you walk back into the kitchen, whipping Jared with a small towel and shooing him towards the table.

"Just wanted to see how you were dealing with our weather," Paul says. "Now can I please have some of this cobbler? It smells really good."

"Have you eaten lunch yet? All that sweet is going to ruin your appetite."

Jared snorts as he takes a seat at the table. "Nothing can ruin our appetites. Trust me."

Paul is still eyeing the cobbler so you sigh and wave him on. "Go ahead. I'm sure you can find the plates and utensils." Then looking towards Sam, you smile. "Would you like to take a seat? There are brown sugar muffins, chocolate chip muffins and peach cobbler if you're interested."

"I, uh, yeah." He grins at you. "I'd like that."

Sam, Paul and Jared take over your kitchen table and instead of being annoyed you can't help but feel a bit of fondness for them. You're well aware of what the connection you had with Sam was and you wonder how long it'll take him to come clean to you since it's obvious all three at your table are shifters- Sam obviously being the alpha.

But putting that off for now, you walk into your kitchen and place some muffins in a bowl to take to the table. Jared is all too happy to immediately start digging in and Paul looks absolutely blissed out as he shovels bite after bite of peach cobbler into his mouth. Sam shakes his head at the two of them, but you find it all rather amusing.

Taking a muffin for himself and eating at a leisurely pace, Sam asks, "So how do you know the boys?"

"Sue and Harry introduced us when they brought over my bed," you tell him. Grabbing a few bottled waters from the refrigerator, you walk them over to the table and take a seat yourself. "Between you and me, I think the only reason Harry introduced us was because I'm a female living by myself. He wants me to have people in my corner should something ever happen."

Sam glances between you and the boys, and seeing as you're not offended he allows himself to chuckle. "Yeah. That sounds like Harry. He's good people."

"Oh for sure," you muse. "I kind of have this sense about people. I can tell who's a good and who's a bad one."

"Oh really?" Paul looks up long enough to spot the waters and take one for himself. "What do you sense about us?"

Jared freezes, Sam tenses and Paul smirks as he takes a gulp of his water. You lean back in your chair, crossing your arms over your chest, and smirk. "Honestly? I get a sense you and Jared are going to be giant pains in my ass."

Jared laughs, but Paul continues to smugly hold your gaze. "And what about Sam?"

Your gaze slides over to Sam who looks equal parts ready to strangle Paul and wondering what your answer is going to be. Eyes twinkling, you say, "That's to be determined."

Now that you'd officially met Sam and he imprinted on you- though you weren't supposed to know that- it seemed like he was everywhere. You run into him at the grocery store, at the local health clinic, and at the beach. And then sometimes all three of them would show up on your porch to check up on you, but mostly to raid your kitchen.

Usually when you run into them you run into all three, so as you're sitting on the beach and just soaking in the peace, you're surprised to see Sam approaching all on his lonesome.

"This seat taken?" He asks, gesturing to the empty half of the blanket you're sitting on.

You grin up at him. "Do my eyes deceive me or are you actually wearing long sleeves and jeans?"

"Ha ha," he deadpans. Toeing off his boots, Sam steps onto your blanket and sits next to you. He grins at you before looking out to the restless ocean. "So what brings you out here on this cool afternoon?"

You shrug. "Nothing really. Just felt like listening to the waves. You?"

"Same. Had some free time so I figured I'd come out here to decompress. Spotting you was just a bonus."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Uley."

Sam chuckles as he softly nudges you with his shoulder. You smile back at him, only to then look back out at the ocean. There's a moment where you and Sam just bask in the stillness of conversation before he's nudging you once more. "So tell me something, Y/N. What brought you out here to La Push?"

"I don't know if I want to tell you," you jokingly admit. "You'll think it's lame."

"No I won't. Come on, tell me."

Glancing at Sam you know you're in trouble at the sight of his small smile and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. You keep his gaze, sigh with a fond roll of your eyes, and he chuckles knowing full well you've caved. "Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? That something was missing from your life and, even though you had a pretty good life, you knew there was something out in the world you were destined to find?"

"Not until recently," he replies quietly.

Sam's gaze darts all over your face before darting down to your lips and your heart skips a beat. "I, uh," you pause and awkwardly clear your throat, leaning sideways away from Sam for a moment to clear your head. "I didn't feel complete for a long time," you say. "So after finishing high school and working a few years to save up some cash, I packed all the things I couldn't live without and hopped into my truck. I drove in whatever direction felt right to me and it wasn't until I crossed into La Push territory that it felt like I could breathe properly. It was weird." Well not really now that you know why you were drawn to La Push, but you couldn't exactly tell him that. Not yet.

"That's not lame at all. That's- well I can kind of relate," he says. When you glance at Sam, his faint grin morphs into a smirk. "I'm glad you found what you were looking for here in La Push, Y/N. It seems everyone here has taken a shine to you."

"What can I say," you muse, batting your eyelashes at him, "I'm a very likable person." Sam's phone dings before he can retort and he offers you a sheepish smile as he pulls it out of his pocket. He reads whatever's on his screen and sighs, looking at you with an apology in his eyes. "Go. It's fine. We can always catch up another time. You do, after all, know where I live."

Sam nods and pulls his boots to himself, slipping them on his feet and lacing up. "Do you, uh, maybe want to grab something to eat sometime?"

His stammering and avoidance of your gaze makes you smile. You hum, drawing out your answer before saying, "Like one on one or a group thing?"

He shrugs. "More like a date thing."

"Sam Uley," you chuckle. "Asking me on a date and breaking hearts all across the Rez. Who would've guessed.." When he's finally brave enough to meet your gaze, you smile. "It's a date, Sam. Just let me know when and where."

A date with Sam consisted of dinner at an Italian restaurant in Port Angeles. You had figured it'd be as awkward as first dates normally were, but from the moment he picked you up to the moment he dropped you off at your front porch and warmly pressed a kiss to your cheek, it was as if you and Sam had been doing this for ages. The conversation had flowed easily with quiet laughter here and there, and then you went for a walk around Port Angeles before deciding to call it a night.

The boys, when they took notice of you greeting Sam with a kiss to the cheek, took great pleasure in teasing the two of you. You could tell Sam was wary about it upsetting you, but you merely withheld food from the boys and they were quick to cut it out.

Sam slowly started to show up more often on his own, the casual touches turning into lingering touches, and it wasn't long until those on the Rez realized Sam was no longer on the market. Which was something Sue Clearwater was clearly ecstatic for, but it also led her to constantly nag you into telling Sam your secret since he was clearly struggling with admitting his own.

You've just gotten home from the grocery store, unloading the groceries when Sam pulls up.

Pausing in hauling the bags inside, you wait for Sam. He hops out of his own truck, grinning when he catches sight of you. "Hey, handsome. What are you doing?"

"Missed you." He leans down to kiss the corner of your mouth and you pout when he pulls away. He chuckles and takes the bags from your arms, grabbing another three from the backseat. "You have a good day?"

"It was decent." You shut the door to your truck, walking side by side with Sam up to your front door. Unlocking it, you push it open and let Sam walk in first. "I visited with Sue for a bit at the clinic and took the patients some goodies. What about you?"

"Decent. Got started on a table and chairs this couple want for their kitchen. Made good progress on it without Jared bugging me and Paul."

You laugh at the slight annoyance in Sam's features when he talks about Jared bugging him, but you know deep down that Sam would do anything for both Jared and Paul. He was just lucky right now since Jared was in his last year of high school and he had school five days out of the week which left Sam and Paul enough time to work without being pestered.

With Sam helping you, all the groceries are put away within a couple of minutes. You sigh with exhaustion, but a smile stays on your face because of the company you have. Sam walks over to you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and bringing you in against his chest. You sigh again, this time in contentment, and wrap your arms around his waist.

"Wanna take a nap?"

"Oh god," you groan. "Yes please."

Sam chuckles as you drag him to the living room, the sofa big enough to comfortably nap on. You both kick your shoes off and you impatiently wait for Sam to lay down and get comfortable before you lay down in front of him. With your back against his chest and his arm wrapped securely around your waist so you don't fall off, you close your eyes and listen to Sam's breathing to lull you to sleep.

Minutes pass and then, "Y/N?"

"Hmm?"

"I, uh, I need to tell you something."

Your eyes fly open. Is this it? Is this when he tells me he's a shifter? "Okay.."

"But I can't tell you until after the bonfire which I'm hoping you'll attend with me tonight."

Oh. "A bonfire sounds nice," you admit. "But whatever you have to tell me isn't bad, is it? Because now I'm going to be worried about it for the rest of the day."

Sam's laughter rumbles from behind you. "Nah. You have nothing to worry about. Get some rest, sweetheart. We deserve it."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

You and Sam fall asleep longer than you had anticipated, and it takes Paul barging into your house and startling you awake to realize how much time has passed. You remain grumpy and half asleep the entire time Sam tells you about the appropriate clothing for the beach bonfire, which Paul finds absolutely hilarious, and he only shut ups about it when you threaten to make him walk back to the beach since he had apparently walked to your house.

When you get to the beach, Sam takes your hand in his and you smile at him before he leads you to where there's already a roaring fire dancing under the night sky. There's a small group gathered around, but the ones who stick out to you the most are the tribal elders who appear as if they're holding court. Sam sits you on a log close to the fire before asking if you want anything and at your furrowed brow he gestures to the table of food that's dwindling down by the minute.

As you tell Sam you only want a hot drink, he leaves you be and you watch as everyone mingles. From across the fire Harry gives you a nod in greeting and you nod back. Your eyes are drawn to Paul who is wrapped around his girlfriend and you can't help but smile at how smitten he is with her. Jared is tossing chips at some young boy, the two of them running around as another unknown female watches them with fond exasperation.

All too soon Sam is taking a seat next to you, thigh to thigh, as his left arm goes around your shoulders after handing you a steaming cup of hot chocolate. You smile at him before snuggling into his warmth and blowing on your drink. Then when everyone settles down and Harry starts talking, you realize he's telling the legends about the Quileute Spirit Warriors.

You've heard the legends about the spirit warriors and cold ones, but never in such great detail and you're absolutely enthralled.

Afterwards, after being introduced to several more people and Sam dropping you back off at home, he walks you up to the porch. His hands are tucked deep into his pockets and he sighs, and you can just tell something is on his mind.

Grinning, you grab him by his belt loops and pull him closer to you. "What's wrong? I could hear you thinking on the drive here."

"Nothing." He automatically shakes his head. You raise an eyebrow at him and he exhales quietly. "I just- I'm curious as to what you thought about the bonfire. Only certain people have the special privilege of attending and I-"

"I loved it." You're quick to assure him. 'And I'm honored I was able to sit in."

"You didn't think it was odd? People turning into giant wolves and cold ones draining people."

You shake your head, smiling fondly. "Sam, I love learning about other cultures and their legends. Honestly, I had an amazing time." His shoulders sag in relief and you chuckle. "So do you want to tell me what else is on your mind?"

He shakes his head. "Maybe another time." His hands reach up to cradle your face and he brings you in to press a kiss to your forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

As the weeks pass, your happiness with Sam starts to dwindle under the pressure of his secret. For some reason, coming out and telling you all that you heard at the bonfire was true was harder than he had imagined. Of course you could have told him your secret to ease him into telling you his, but you were holding back as well.

Sue and Harry have had enough, however, after Sam snaps at Paul and Jared and starts straining the bond between the three of them. So sitting outside of your house, you wait for Sam to show up. If he won't tell you he's alpha of the Quileute pack, then you'll tell him your own secret and see what happens then.

Sam shows up on time and as he exits his truck, you stand up and walk towards the edge of the porch. He smiles in greeting, but you can see the strain behind it and you sigh. Immediately you wrap your arms around him, pressing your cheek against his chest.

"Come inside with me. I need to show you something."

"Uh oh. Should I be worried?" He says.

"Not at all." You pull back from him, pecking his lips. "But I am worried about how you're going to take it."

Sam's small smile falters, but you don't have any reassuring words for him. Now that it's out in the open about you having a secret too, you can see why Sam held back. It's scary. But it's out there now and there's no way in hell you're going to back out. So grabbing hold of one of Sam's hands, you turn around to lead him inside.

You lead Sam into your bedroom and gesture for him to take a seat on one side of your bed while you sit across from him. With one leg hanging off the side of the bed and your other curled inward, you grab one of your pillows and strip the cover off of it. "Can you rip it open?"

Sam huffs. "What? You want me to rip apart your pillow?"

"Yeah. I just- the feathers," you mutter. "Trust me." He stares at you a moment longer before grabbing your pillow and ripping the top sheet layer of it. You grin and reach in, scooping out a handful of the white and gray feathers. "So, um, please don't hate me."

"Hate you? I can never hate you, Y/N."

"You say that now, but-" Heart pounding, you lay the feathers down down on the bed right in front of your leg. Your hands tremble, but you're quick to shake it out and take a breath. Your smile wobbles as you briefly meet Sam's gaze and then you hold your hands just above the feathers. Concentrating deeply on them, you slowly lift your hands and the feathers slowly follow. You hear Sam sharply inhale as the feathers levitate and then start to twirl in a circular motion. "So, um, I'm a witch," you admit. "And to make things easier for you, I already know the secret you've been struggling to tell me."

"H-How?"

Your hands drop and you finally meet Sam's astonished gaze. "My coven's grimoire. It's filled with all sorts of knowledge of every supernatural creature out there and, though the passage on the spirit warriors of the Quileute tribe wasn't as detailed as what Harry said around the bonfire, it was enough to clue me in on what you, Paul, and Jared were the second I laid eyes on you. Well that and the fact the tribal elders told me when I asked their permission to live on the Rez."

Sam huffs and then does the unexpected. He reaches across your gutted pillow and tugs on your arm until you're crawling over and onto his lap. He holds you tight, chuckling quietly, and shoves his face into the side of your neck. You hesitantly wrap your arms back around him, sighing in relief. "You really should have told me sooner. It's been killing me not telling you about us."

"Yeah, well it's going to get a whole lot easier." He pulls back then, staring at you warily. "I know about the imprint thing too."

Sam's eyes widen. "You do?"

"Yep. Witches don't necessarily have mates, but we do have a sense of things. Since I came into my magic, there had always been a part of me that was searching for something."

"Yeah. Yeah I remember you mentioning that," Sam says.

"Well that something was you." The confession makes you nervously shift in his lap. "Whatever it was, it led me here to La Push. And then I saw you and.. I don't know. You felt like comfort. And home. And I knew-"

Sam cuts you off, grasping your chin between his fingers and facing you towards him. His lips press against yours and it takes a moment for your mind to be brought up to speed as to what's going on. When it does, you gasp and Sam smiles against your lips.

"Don't laugh at me," you mumble. "You caught me off guard."

Sam chuckles, his smile wide and eyes crinkling at the corners. It's one of his more genuine smiles and it feels like this huge weight has been lifted off your chest. "So the alpha and his witch," he muses. "The boys are going to be in for a shock."

"I was thinking more along the lines of the witch and her companion, but the alpha and the witch works too." You lean in and press your lips to his, once, twice, and then one more time. "And can we hold off on telling the boys? I kind of want to shock them with the reveal."

"Sure thing, sweetheart. We'll go at your pace."

"My pace, huh? I like the sound of that."

#sam uley x reader #twilight imagine #sam uley imagine #sam uley #twilight

[agent-whiskeys-sweetheart]

Meant To Be

Pairing: Hotch x F!Reader

Summary: You are studying to be an FBI profiler with a little over a year left before graduation. When the BAU team shows up in your town for a case you jump at the chance to shadow them for a day. However, things quickly take a turn when you meet Aaron Hotchner, your future boss. And the most breathtaking man you’ve ever met. 

Warnings: None! A little dramatic??? This is a purely self indulgent, love at first sight kind of fic so just prepare yourselves. 

Word Count: 4,063

A/N: So I had a mild stroke trying to figure out the timeline for this series so please just don’t look too much into it lol.

MAY 2006

FORT WORTH, TX

It was just barely six in the morning when you pulled into the parking lot of the precinct. Although the sun hadn’t peaked over the horizon yet, you were surprisingly awake. In preparation for the day you had gone to bed at eight the night before which left you well-rested and alert. There was no way you were going to let yourself be off your game. Not today. Of all your classmates, you had certainly progressed the quickest. Due to your high success rate, your professor had authorized you to shadow the team of FBI profilers that were coming to your city for a case. It was an amazing opportunity for someone with a over a year left before graduation so you immediately accepted. Not allowing yourself to make even the slightest mistake, you planned everything down to the last detail in the days leading up to this. Nothing would be able to faze you. With the confidence of a woman who’d been working in this precinct all her life, you strode into the lobby. The receptionist asked for your ID which you quickly displayed. It was only temporary but even so, there was a certain amount of power you felt when she cleared you to continue into the building. After stopping briefly to ask for directions you made your way back to the Police Chief’s office. When he hears your knock, he looks up from his paperwork with a polite smile.

“Well, good morning. What can I help you with?” Clearing your throat, you prepare your most professional voice as you reply.

“My name is Y/N L/N. We met earlier this week. I’m going to be shadowing the team of profilers who are flying in today.” Recognition crosses his features as he makes his way over to shake your hand.

“Of course. I remember. It’s nice to see you again. You’re very punctual. That’s a good skill to hang on to.” You smile in gratitude. “Well, the profilers aren’t here just yet. If you’d like you can wait in here or we can find an empty desk for you.” 

“Actually, I was hoping I could look over the case files. I’d like to be as up-to-date as possible before they arrive.” As he nods, the two of you make your way into the hallway. Towards the back corner of the common workspace is an empty desk that he allows you to sit at. While you put your things down and take a seat he disappears long enough to retrieve a file folder and set it on the desk in front of you. 

“This should be enough information for you to be able to help out. If you’ve got any questions in the meantime, you know where I’m at.” With another polite smile, he leaves you to continue his paperwork. It doesn’t take long for you to read the case file. There had been a conspicuous string of murders in the area, which began about two weeks ago. Four couples were murdered in their homes, all wealthy without children. A list of witnesses and family members had been compiled to make the interview process a little easier. You predicted you’d most likely be helping one of the profilers in questioning the people on this list so you tried your best to memorize the names. 

It seemed like hardly any time had passed when you heard the main doors of the precinct opening to reveal a group of five people walking up to the receptionist’s desk. The sight of them immediately perked you up. It was difficult to make out any individual faces at first but you knew these must be the profilers. As they each scanned their IDs and made their way into the main workspace you quickly gathered your things so that you would be ready to move the moment they were. It didn’t take long for the Chief of Police to reappear, welcoming the profilers and showing them where they could set up their equipment. Every member of the team had a distinctly different look and behavior but they all seemed to work in unison. Even though they’d only been there for five minutes they exuded professionalism and efficiency. As you watched them you had to remind yourself to breathe. You had as much right to be there as them. Admittedly they did have a lot more experience than you but that didn’t change the fact that you’re all on the same team now. 

Waiting patiently, you finish putting the case file back together and fold your hands to rest them on the edge of the desk. When the Chief of Police calls you over you gather up your things and make your way around the various desks to stand next to him. 

“This here is Miss L/N. She’s a student at our local university. She’s gonna be tagging along with you guys today for a little real-world practice.” As he introduces you, you take the opportunity to study the faces of the people in front of you. There is only one you recognize for certain. They all have their attention set on you as well which makes you suddenly very aware of yourself. “Anyway, I’ll let you all introduce yourselves.” With a nod, he turns to speak to you. “If you don’t mind stopping by my office at the end of the day, I’ll get you all checked out alright? In the meantime, have fun I guess.” He adds with a laugh before finally leaving you alone with the others. 

The first one to extend his hand to you is the one person you are familiar with. More than familiar, seeing as he is kind of your hero. You had been the one to initiate the arrangement, having sent him an email a few weeks ago. He had seemed more than willing to let you work with them for the day and he was nothing but helpful, just like you knew he would be. Seeing him now was nearly surreal.

“Y/N, I remember.” He begins, shaking your hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jason Gideon, as you know. Glad to have you on board.” 

“It’s absolutely an honor to meet you, sir. I’ve been a follower of your work since I knew what profiling was. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I am more than ready to help in any way I can.” As you speak, a warm smile lights his face. One of friendliness and hope.

“Of course. I think I speak for my team when I say we’re grateful as well. Not many people in our field get a chance to guide the next generation to a life of helping others. Anything we can do to support you as a future member of our team, we’re happy to do.” This response is entirely heartfelt and shocking to you. Of all the ways you’d imagined this interaction starting, this wasn’t what you had in mind and yet it was exactly what you needed. 

“Thank you, sir.” Was all you could manage as you work to maintain your fading air of professionalism. 

“Well, with that I’ll let everyone do their own introductions.” Almost immediately another man stepped out of line and reached for your hand. He was very conventionally handsome and the way he carried himself told you he knew that he was good-looking. The smile he flashed you was contagious as you shook hands with him.

“Nice to meet you, sweetheart. I’m Agent Derek Morgan and I am very excited to get to know you.” The woman next to him has to pull him away, shooting him a look. She seems very severe and yet when she turns to look at you there is a distinct kindness in her eyes.

“Knock it off Morgan. You’re gonna scare her off before she even gets a chance to meet anyone else.” She says over her shoulder, taking your hand. “I’m Elle. If he keeps bugging you, I’ll be more than happy to rough him up for you.” Morgan holds his hands up defensively when he catches Elle’s eye again before giving you a small wink. 

“Nice to meet you both.” It’s hard to contain your laughter but you manage, giving a small smile instead. Another woman is standing beside Gideon who shakes your hand. She is very beautiful and seems to exude confidence and grace. 

“I’m JJ. I’m the Communications Liaison for the BAU. We spoke briefly last week.” You nod in recognition. She had helped you coordinate the time and place to meet up for the day.  

“Of course. Very nice to meet you in person.” 

“Likewise. We’re excited to be working with you.” She gives you a warm smile which you gladly return before looking to the last person in the small group. He looks to be about your age, very sensibly dressed with a nice posture. There is a slight awkwardness in the way that he shakes your hand but he gives you a quick smile and you can see that he has a hidden friendliness in his demeanor. 

“I’m Dr. Spencer Reid.” He says shortly to which you politely nod. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” With that, you turn back to Gideon to ask about your assignment for the day. However, you can’t help but feel like something is missing. “I read through the case file this morning so I can be of use wherever I’m needed. Did you have an assignment in mind or will I be moving around throughout the day?” 

“I think it would be beneficial for you to work with SSA Hotchner. He should be here any minute.” That’s what was missing. Hotchner. You had heard his name before but you didn’t know much about him. As you waited for him to arrive, Gideon began delegating tasks to each of the other members. Despite not being given a task yet you listened intently until the front doors of the precinct opened. 

However you had pictured Hotchner, the man that walked through that door was the furthest thing from what you expected. The sight of him striding in from the lobby made your breath catch in your throat. There was an innate power in the way that he moved. So much purpose and intensity. His eyes were dark and they found your face almost immediately. It was enough to make you squirm but you maintained your composure. Gideon turned to greet him before gesturing back towards you. “This is Y/N L/N. She’s a student who is here to shadow the team for the day.” 

With the slightest hesitation, you extended your hand toward him. His eyes didn’t leave yours for a moment as he shook your hand. 

“I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner. It’s very nice to meet you.” He spoke with a clear sense of professionalism. 

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m looking forward to working with you. I have a feeling I’m going to learn a lot from this experience.” 

“I hope so. It was very smart of you to seize this opportunity. It does not come around often. Soak up everything you can today and I’m sure it will bring you a lot of success in the future.” You listen to him intently, nodding with a small smile. 

“Hotch, would you mind if she rides along with you today? We’ve got a list of witnesses we need to speak to and I think it would be good for her to get out in the field rather than being stuck here doing paperwork.” Gideon interjects, looking to both of you as he proposes the idea. Hotchner looks around the precinct briefly for the other team members before giving Gideon his attention again.

“Of course. Do I need to brief her on the case?” 

“Actually, I already familiarized myself with the case file before you all got here this morning.” You interrupt before Gideon can respond, causing both the men to look at you. “Sir.” You add, clearing your throat. They both share a knowing look. 

“Perfect,” Hotchner replied, with a respectful nod. Satisfied with the interaction, Gideon dismissed himself to begin his work leaving the two of you alone. “Give me a few minutes to speak with the Chief of Police and then we can get started. Would you mind waiting out front for me?” You nod eagerly which prompts him to walk back toward the Chief’s office. Once he has disappeared around the corner you make your way to the front of the building, stepping through the main doors. The cool morning air brings with it a sweet wave of relief. You hadn’t realized how hot you were until you had stepped outside. Nerves were already building up in your system when you were being introduced to the rest of the team but meeting Hotchner had tipped you over the edge. There was no denying that he was a very handsome man. The evidence was in the blush that was surely covering your face. Mentally scolding yourself you take a deep breath. You were a professional and you would act as such. No matter how deeply moved you felt when he looked into your eyes like that. 

A few minutes later Hotchner made his way through the front doors causing you to stand at attention. Moving briskly, you followed him into the parking lot and pulled yourself into the passenger seat of the dark SUV he had just unlocked. He remained silent as he began typing an address into the GPS before pulling out of the parking lot. Once you were on the road he looked over at you briefly.

“How much do you know about questioning witnesses?” He began.

“Quite a bit. I’m only about a year away from graduation so I have a fairly advanced understanding of a wide variety of concepts that pertain to profiling.” Watching the GPS, he nods. Feeling a tinge of awkwardness, you allow your eyes to stay focused on your lap.

“Good. Any real-world experience?” 

“Unfortunately no. In my courses, we do simulate certain scenarios fairly often but there isn’t much opportunity for real application.” 

“Well the best advice I can give for today is to stay quiet and watch me. If I need you to speak up, I will tell you as much. Otherwise, don’t say anything. It isn’t that I distrust you. It would just be irresponsible of me to allow someone with zero field experience to question the victim’s friends and family during some of the most difficult times of their lives. Especially without having seen what they’re capable of beforehand. I’m sure you understand.” 

“Oh absolutely. I completely understand. I know that I’m here in more of an observational capacity today. And even if I wasn’t, you’re the boss. No explanation necessary.” Hotchner is quiet for a moment. If you hadn’t been so preoccupied with avoiding eye contact, you would have seen the remnants of a smile on his face.

“I should have you talk to the rest of the team. They could learn a thing or two from you.” This causes you to laugh lightly. 

When you finally do decide to look at him the sight steals your breath yet again. He is bathed in the golden light of the rising sun and he seems almost ethereal. You can see a flash of his deep brown eyes which seemed very soft now in the glow of the sun. As though he could feel you looking at him he turns to meet your eyes although this time you don’t look away. The two of you sit there in what seems like the most eternal moment, dancing in and out of each other before he breaks away to look back at the road. For a moment you could almost swear you saw something there in his eyes, something almost like longing. It must have just been a trick of the light. 

“So, what made you decide to be a profiler?” The moment is over as quickly as it began as he speaks up. 

“Well, I’ve always had a deep fascination with the human psyche. Finding out what makes people tick. Picking apart their personalities, their behaviors. Growing up that almost felt like the only way to understand the kids around me. By studying them. Every friendship I had felt like a science project. When I found out that I could use that ability to be part of something bigger than myself, to make the world just a little brighter ... well, it was really a no-brainer.” 

“That’s very ... noble and, honestly, very uplifting to hear. With this job, you experience a lot more bad days than you do good. Sometimes it is hard to remember why we started doing this in the first place. It’s people like you that remind me this job is worth it. Hang on to those beliefs. They’ll help keep you sane, I can promise you that.” With a nod, you give him a kind smile.

“I will. I promise.” It isn’t much longer before you arrive at the first house. The interview is fairly straightforward. You stay close by Hotchner’s side as he introduces the both of you. Once you’re inside you sit quietly as he begins asking questions, merely listening and taking mental notes of the way he conducts himself. It is over fairly quickly and then you’re both back in the SUV and off to your next destination. The next two interviews are the same. On the third, he lets you ask a few routine questions. It is a simple gesture but you are very grateful for the experience and you handle yourself very well. 

Your final interview is with the parents of the latest male victim. When Hotchner knocks on the door, it takes a minute for it to open. Standing on the other side is an older man with a tired expression. 

“Yes? What is it?” The man says briskly. Hotchner pulls out his badge.

“I am SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI. This is Miss Y/N L/N. May we come in?” Hearing the term FBI causes the man’s expression to darken rather quickly as he looks between the two of you.

“Where’s your badge?” He questions, nodding in your direction. Remaining silent, you share a look with Hotchner. After a second of thought he gives you a small nod of approval.

“I’m not actually an FBI agent yet, sir. I’m a criminology student at the local university. I’m shadowing Agent Hotchner today as a learning opportunity before getting out in the field myself.” 

“A learning opportunity?” It takes the man almost no time to answer and you can hear a significant shift in his voice. “You’re using my son’s death as a learning opportunity?” 

“You misunderstand--” Hotchner begins in your defense before you quickly cut him off with your own response.

“Sir, I can’t begin to fathom what you’re going through. But I can promise you that my lack of experience is entirely made up for by my desire to see the person who did this to your son pay for it. It doesn’t take training to see that your son deserves justice for his death.” The man is silent but keeps his eyes locked on yours. 

“My wife and I have already told the police everything we know.” 

“We know, sir. It will only take a few moments of your time and anything you can tell us might be crucial in finding your son’s killer.” 

“No. No, we’ve already talked about this more than any parent should ever have to. If it’s that important go ask the police what we said.”

“Please, sir--” Before he can finish, the man smacks the door frame.

“It took the deaths of eight innocent people for you to swoop in and save the day. You really think I want to waste a second of my time speaking with you? I have nothing more to say. Now get out of here.” With that, Hotchner nods before turning to leave which prompts you to quickly follow. As you get near the SUV you are startled by the sound of the man’s door being slammed shut. Once inside you release the breath that had been caught in your chest. When you look over at Hotchner his expression shows a deadly calmness and you are suddenly struck by the idea that he must be pissed at you.

“I’m so sorry. That was all my fault. I upset him. I shouldn’t have said anything to him. I should have just kept my mouth shut like you told me to. I had no right to do that. I’m sorry.” The crushing weight of embarrassment and guilt settled over you. This morning you had felt more than ready but now it seemed like the day had been filled with challenges you couldn’t possibly have prepared for. In only a few hours you had managed to show your boss that you are completely incompetent. You ready yourself for what must surely be his wrath however when he turns towards you his expression shifts from one of unwavering calm to gentle kindness.

“It’s okay. I’m not angry with you. What you said was perfect, it’s exactly what I would have said. You were establishing a rapport with him to gain his trust. You did the right thing. Believe me, it wasn’t you. There is nothing either of us could have said that would have gotten a different result.” When he sees that you are still wary he shifts in his seat to face you more directly. “As a future member of my team, you have my trust. You handled yourself very impressively today. You’re going to make a very fine addition to the BAU.” 

His words ease your anxious mind as you nod quietly. Soon after Hotchner is pulling back out onto the street to take you both back to the police precinct. After a minute of silence he glances over at you.

“So ... are you still sure you want to do this?” The question catches you off-guard but it takes you no time at all to answer.

“More than anything.” This time you do catch the faint smile that crosses his lips which causes you to give a small smile in return.

“Good.” Is all he says for the rest of the ride back to the precinct.

The day is over much more quickly than you had hoped for. When you step back into the police building you make a beeline for the chief’s office, remembering his request that you find him again at the end of the day. You return your temporary ID and he fills out a form for your professor to verify your activity for the day. Once the formalities are over he bids you a good evening and shows you back out to the main workspace. The team all gather briefly to say their goodbyes as well. You thank Gideon profusely for allowing you to join them before shaking hands with the rest of the team members. As you make your way to the exit you see Hotchner standing near the main doors. 

“Thank you so much for letting me tag along today. I really learned a lot.” As you say this you extend your hand which he quickly takes. 

“Absolutely. It was a pleasure working with you and I look forward to seeing you again in a few years. In the meantime, here’s my card.” He reaches into his inside jacket pocket and pulls out his business card which he hands to you. “If you ever need anything, feel free to give me a call.” Tucking the card safely into your pocket you thank him with a smile before heading out the main doors to your car. 

Once inside you pull the card out of your pocket and sit for a minute, staring at it. Unable to control yourself you let a giddy smile paint your face. After the day you had, a year has never seemed longer. The anticipation of your future at the BAU looms over you but rather than filling you with nerves it brings you hope and excitement for the things to come. Opening a small compartment on your dash, you tuck the business card away before heading home to get a good night’s sleep filled with wonderful dreams.

Tags: @talesfromtheguild @lannister-slings-and-arrows @gamingaquarius @gryffindorwriter @nopeforyou @sheerfreesia007 @roxypeanut @ohpedromypedro @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa @readsalot73 @the-mechanical-angel @races-erster @maxlordd @pascalisthepunkest @paintballkid711 @hotchafterhours @h0tchner @ssahotchswife @ssahotchhner @technotic-prophecy @klinenovakwinchester​

#criminal minds #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x y/n #series #meant to be #love at first sight #fluff #ssa aaron hotchner #agent aaron hotchner #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x you #criminal minds x y/n #reader insert #female reader #some angst #i guess #part 1 #BAU reader #profiler reader